Schools ‘Get Caught Reading’ for third year

Local schools worked together to promote the enjoyment of reading throughout the whole town and across every generation.

Research shows that:

l The earlier parents become involved in their children’s reading the better.

l Children who read for just 20 minutes a day achieve higher grades at school.

l Reading improves general knowledge, vocabulary and the imagination.

From June 9 to June 13, Oakmeeds students enjoyed a range of activities and events at the college, all designed to encourage reading and the enjoyment of it.

These included:

l Each day, students and staff took 10 minutes to ‘Drop Everything and Read’.

l Actor, director and teacher Tim Rowland held workshops with year 7 on villains in literature.

l Poet, Ash Dickinson, came into the College to perform a full day of workshops with year 8.

l Oakreads book club sold raffle tickets in assemblies and all proceeds went to the library.

l LRC Manager, Mrs Barrett, took around 30 year 7 students to represent Oakmeeds at a locality schools reading event in St John’s Park. 250 children from nine schools took blankets and their favourite books to the park and sat down and read together. The children loved reading in the sunshine with hundreds of others - some parents couldn’t believe how peaceful and engrossed the children were!

Headteachers hope that the event will remind families to take books away with them on holidays or to perhaps go back to the park with books throughout the summer.

Photos show: Oakmeeds student helping primary school pupils read in the park. Drop Everything and Read. Poet, Ash Dickinson, in a workshop with Year 8 students.

Report and pictures contributed by Oakmeeds Community College.