A SPECIAL event has taken place to celebrate the achievement of teachers involved in the first year of ‘Every Child a Reader’.
This project is aimed at children who, after one year of schooling, show they are having difficulty with reading.
Teachers qualifying as Reading Recovery specialists will lead the initiative in schools in Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Warrington.
The three councils have formed a working partnership to implement the programme.
‘Every Child a Reader’ (ECaR) is supported and funded via a unique collaboration between charitable trusts and Government.
The success of the programme in narrowing attainment gaps and enhancing staff learning opportunities is reflected in its continued funding nationally into next year.
John Stephens, director of Children and Young People’s Services at Cheshire West and Chester Council, together with representatives from Cheshire East and Warrington, officially presented certificates to specialist teachers from across the three local authorities.
He said: “I was delighted to be present because the programme offers schools, local authorities and families the opportunity to work closely together on the extremely important subject of reading.
“The programme is aimed at Year 1 children who are struggling to read and write and they visit the ECaR training room in the Professional Centre at Winsford as part of the specialist teachers’ intensive training in the Reading Recovery early intervention programme. Evidence shows that the programme works best a year into schooling which is the optimum period for intervention.”
One-to-one teaching is provided by a specialist ECaR-Reading Recovery teacher for half an hour a day, every school day for between 12 and 20 weeks.
The ECaR-Reading Recovery trained teacher also shares good practice with other teachers, developing the use of specialist assessment and teaching procedures.
This helps children needing less intensive support across the school.
Cheshire West and Chester councillor Arthur Harada, executive member for education and children, said: “This programme is having wonderful results.”
