Reading focus within school and call for volunteers for our new Reading Partnership Programme

Reading focus within school and call for volunteers for our new Reading Partnership Programme

Dear parents/carers, 

Within school we are focusing on improving reading across the school. Success in reading is crucial in developing children’s self-confidence and motivation to learn. Reading develops pupils’ imagination, experiences and their communication skills. Through financial support from our PTA and funding donations we have been able to start to purchase and extend our guided reading schemes throughout the whole school. This is an area that we wish to continue to develop and add to over time. 

We are also introducing a new literacy intervention called 'Reading Partnership'. This provides a support programme for pupils who require a little extra help with their reading or a boost in confidence. The Reading Partner volunteer provides a relaxed environment that gives pupils the time and space to practise and apply the skills taught by their teachers and to talk about their reading with an interested adult.

We are recruiting volunteers to work with our children to increase their reading skills and love of reading. If you are a parent, grandparent or member of the local community who would enjoy supporting children to read please get in touch. Please forward on this email to family members or friends who would be interested in becoming a volunteer of our new Reading Partnership Programme at Portstewart Primary School.

Ideally this literacy intervention requires only 15 minutes of support 2 or 3 times a week per child over 10 weeks. In such a short space of time, many of the children that Reading Partners have worked with have shown great improvements in their reading ages. However we are flexible and can work around volunteers availability. 

Training will be given to volunteers in both supporting children to read and on safeguarding. Volunteers will also complete AccessNI checks. Please note that you need to be 18 years or over to volunteer as a reading helper due to the safer recruitment checks required for the voluntary role.

Simply complete the form below, or if you're not quite ready to sign up find out more information by telephoning Mrs Taylor on 02870832194.

Click on the blue link to fill in the online form to register an interest at becoming a Reading Partner volunteer for our school: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=-yeCOETeDkaBkAVAK4mNqE6IZGSWWw5Fr-cwGloPHtpUMTQ2SjlZSDRNSUlQVlNPR1lLRDI3WEoxSy4u

Yours sincerely,

Mrs K Taylor