During the School Home Support pilot, in Islington primary schools, several children reported that the Reading Pals sessions had given them the confidence to help their younger siblings with reading at home. This is particularly significant for families where parents simply do not have enough time to read with the children, families where parents lack … Read more
Speech, language and communication are vital skills that are linked with many different areas including children and young people’s mental health. Reading Pals base their scripts on a language model, used in the training and practice of Speech and Language professionals, to stimulate and support children’s higher level language development. The vocabulary and concepts explored … Read more
Forming Connections There are many reasons why children feel lonely; moving areas and countries, language barriers, social anxiety, speech and language processing difficulties, hearing loss, dysfunctional home lives and bullying in their communities and schools.Reading Pals can make a crucial difference to any child who is feeling lonely by helping the child to form stronger … Read more
Parents and Siblings The pre-written scripts act as a coaching tool for parents, giving them knowledge and experience in asking comprehension questions and having stimulating discussions about the child’s book. Many parents are keen to support their child’s reading development at home but lack confidence and knowledge of how best to do this. Many parents … Read more
School Home Support/Give a Book/Reading Pals School Home Support Practitioners after receiving training in supervising Reading Pals introduced the scheme into 8 Islington primary schools. The training and resources were provided by Reading Pals and all books were provided by Give a Book. The Practitioners were able to use the scheme to develop their selected children’s confidence … Read more
THE CROSS-AGE READING ACTIVITIES PROVIDED BY READING PALS CONTRIBUTE TO 4 OF THE 5 STEPS, RECOMMENDED BY THE NHS, TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE MENTAL WELLBEING. 1. CONNECT – Staff and children who have used Reading Pals all agreed that it led to strong friendships, that were mutually supportive. Often these friendships continued into the playground. The questions … Read more
