Literacy is more important now than ever before with business leaders around the world believing that teenagers entering the world of work at this time will be exposed o more information and must read and write more than at any time to date.  Reading not only increases memory and vocabulary it has also been found to reduces stress.  As such, literacy is central to the work we do across the curriculum at BMS.  Indeed, in the last year we have seen the number of books loaned from the LRC more than double and over 700 students logged into our reading-cloud over a three-month period. Dispelling stereotypes most students accessing our LRC resources have been male which reflects our inclusive intervention programme to promote literacy across BMS.  Just 20 minutes of reading a day adds up to 4,800 minutes in a year and brings with its endless benefits in terms of student learning. Educational research highlights that a student who reads outside of the classroom is five times more likely to read above their expected age consequently, greatly improving their educational and so, life chances.

Whilst the LRC may not be available to many students at this time there are plenty of simple ways to encourage your child to read at home.  Making time for reading can have a positive effect in a short space of time.  This could be for the whole family or by encouraging independent reading, before bedtime or in the morning after breakfast. Reading need not be of books, it could be looking at a newspaper on-line, comics, cookery books anything that is around the house and of interest to the child.   Engaging your older children in reading aloud to younger siblings will build confidence and teach them to connect how words look with their sounds benefitting both children. This can be particularly constructive for dual language families where stories can be talked about in any language. One technique we have been promoting during CDC time is the adult in the classroom reading aloud while students follow along in the text using a ruler. This allows students to strengthen their vocabulary by hearing the words pronounced accurately whilst seeing the work and to increase fluency in reading through the adult reading with expression.  Additionally, it allows the adult to pause and discuss the meaning of more difficult language as they are reading gradually exposing the student to a wider range of vocabulary.  The key to developing success in literacy is to be positive and praise children for trying to read whilst letting them know that it is alright to make mistakes.