The new Reading Recovery Centre will enable children from across the county with the lowest achievement in literacy in their first years of school to get specialist and individual support from a specially trained teacher over a period of several weeks.
The specially equipped centre, based at Highfield Junior School in Eastbourne, was officially launched recently by Penny Gaunt, the County Council's Deputy Director responsible for Learning and School Effectiveness.
Set up under the Government's Every Child a Reader (ECaR) initiative, the centre will provide specialist training for teachers who will be able to work with the child concerned both in their own school and at the centre.
At first eight teachers from eight schools are undergoing the training and each will then be working on a one-to-one basis with four children in a programme of support expected to last 12 to 20 weeks with a 30 minute session each day.
The design of the centre enables teachers who are training to deliver the intervention to observe other teachers working with their individual pupils.
Councillor David Elkin, the Council's Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness said: “Learning to read and write is clearly vitally important and is the foundation for further learning. At this centre we will be able to equip teachers to provide intensive help to those pupils who need it. But it won't only improve their reading and writing, it will also help to improve their self-confidence and self-esteem.”
He added: “This programme has been used elsewhere in the country and eight out of ten children who have been involved were successful in reaching the levels appropriate for their age.”
Further information
The first eight schools who are taking part in the project and have teachers training to provide the programme are:
- Dudley Infant School, Hastings
- West St Leonards Community Primary School, St Leonards
- St Leonards CofE Primary, St Leonards
- Chantry Community Primary School, Bexhill
- Christ Church CofE Primary, St Leonards
- Churchwood Community Primary, St Leonards
- Polegate School, Polegate
- Cross-in-Hand CofE Primary School, Cross-in-Hand, Heathfield.
Reference:
2545
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