A book for every pupil in new reading drive
EVERY schoolchild in Wales will get a book in a new £5m reading scheme.
Tens of thousands of books will be provided in the programme to help improve key reading and speaking skills from a young age – equivalent to a book for every learner, a Welsh Government spokesman said.
Announcing the extra funding for the reading programme, Education Minister Jeremy Miles said it would provide a book for every school learner in Wales, alongside a targeted scheme of reading support focusing on early years and disadvantaged pupils.
The programme aims to fire up enthusiasm for reading, help develop oracy skills and general educational attainment.
It will include 72,000 additional books for reception age children at schools across Wales, 3,600 letterbox club packs, books and training for staff and one box of 50 books to every state school in Wales.
The minister also confirmed a package of measures, including:
■ Working with teacher education providers and school improvement consortia to carry out a review of provision to ensure practitioners get high-quality support across Wales.
■ The National Network – a prac
titioner-led body to support schools in implementing the new curriculum – will prioritise reading and oracy in the spring. This will “facilitate high-quality teaching and consider the role of phonics in the new curriculum”.
■ Development of a “toolkit” to support teachers in developing classroom practice
A review of language screening tools, undertaken by Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, to help practitioners identify issues in listening, understanding and speaking skills.