5:10pm Friday 8th March 2013
By Catherine Priestley
A SCHOOL has thrown down the gauntlet to pupils and challenged them to read as many books as they can in ten weeks.
A dozen year eight pupils at Whitworth Park School, in Spennymoor, are working with students from its sixth form to tackle as many page-turners as possible.
They meet weekly to discuss their latest reads and take part in book related activities.
English teacher Donna Timmiss said: “Reading is a life skill which is transferable across all subject areas.
“Without the ability to read well, students cannot access the information needed to succeed in whichever area they choose, poor literacy limits opportunities."
The reading challenge is aimed at improving the literacy of pupils whose reading level is currently under the age of ten- considered a functional level to cope with most things.
“Obviously our overall aim is to match their reading age with their chronological to allow students to achieve their full potential and by catching those who are struggling early, we hope to achieve this,” Mrs Timmiss added.
The school uses the Accelerated Reader programme to monitor reading ages, track progress and identify those in need of intervention.
Over half of all pupils involved in the scheme improved their reading ages between October 2012 and January 2013, with almost one in four boosting their reading age by more than a year in just three months.
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