A reading revolution

Birches Head Academy in Stoke-on-Trent has started using the Accelerated Reader software to improve reading skills among pupils, preparing them for their GCSEs. The initiative offers a personalised program for each pupil, tailoring the reading recommendations to individual interests and reading abilities.

The trial has been in place for a few of months and is currently only used by year seven students, with the ultimate aim to expand the programme across the rest of the school. The initiative is designed to nurture pupils’ love of books and help them feel successful and motivated when reading.

The Accelerated Reader software, designed by Renaissance Learning, a company that specialises in the development of assisted learning programs, runs on a simple, yet effective format. Each pupil takes an initial test that scores their reading age range. From here, the software recommends a list of age and skill-appropriate books for the pupil to try.

The reading lists encompass fictional and non-fictional titles alike. So far, the most popular authors among the pupils have been David Williams, Darren Shan, Tom Gates, Suzanne Collins, Jacqueline Wilson, Jeff Kinney and J.K. Rowling.

The pupil then selects a book from the lower spectrum of the list to read. After finishing the book, there is a short quiz designed to assess the reader’s understanding of the story and any challenging vocabulary. After passing the test, the pupil is encouraged to move on to the next book. The most successful and enthusiastic Birches Head Academy pupils are also given rewards in the form of book vouchers.

“The programme has had good results so far,” explains Katie Dixon, vice principal at Birches Head Academy. “It has started to change our pupils’ attitudes towards reading. Accelerated Reader helps them have a bigger sense of accomplishment when they finish a book and you can see they’re more excited at the prospect of starting a new volume.

“At the moment, we’re devoting one hour each week to the program and encouraging the pupils to take their books home with them,” continues Dixon. “Parents can easily check the progress their children are making. By getting the parents and staff involved, we’re hoping to develop a culture of reading and to stimulate our pupils to grow up loving books.”

Budding photographers snap up top prize

A team of amateur photographers from Birches Head High School have won first prize in the Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland’s (RIBI) Young Photographers competition. The winning portfolio came from a group of year nine and ten pupils who impressed the judges with their creativity and composition skills. 

Michael Johnson (15), Erkan Kose (15), Jake Lockett (16), Emily Haynes (16) and Lenena Gilbert (15), submitted their individual creations as part of a group portfolio. They took home the top prize for the Senior Category, age 14-17, in a ceremony that took place at the City of Stoke-On-Trent Sixth Form College.

RIBI the organizer of the Young Photographers competition is the association of Rotary clubs in England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, comprising 53,000 members. Rotary International forms a global network of business, professional and community leaders who volunteer their time and talents to serve communities locally and around the world.

Working in conjunction with teacher Daniel Jackson, the group of five students first learned the basics of photography and how to process their images.

"We took our inspiration from the mundane and simple, day to day objects around us," explained Michael Johnson, a year nine student at Birches Head High School. "We wanted to show that even ordinary things can be photographed beautifully if light, colour and the right angle is used," he finished.

The grand prize was £50 of Wimberley’s gift vouchers, which were used to buy arts and photography supplies.

“This competition has provided students with a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable artistic skills that may become more than a hobby in time,” said teacher Daniel Jackson after the event. “Photography competitions are ideal for those creative pupils that are also interested in technology. Mentoring the group and following their progress was an inspiring journey and, we'll definitely include photography classes in next year's curriculum.”