House of Lords date for Brighton primary school

Staff from Middle Street Primary School in Brighton are going to the House of Lords today (Wednesday 5 December) to talk about their outstanding success in helping pupils who struggle with reading.

Since 2012 more than 40 children at the school have benefited from the Reading Recovery programme. 

Children who are struggling with Literacy in Year 1 are given daily 1-1 individualised literacy lessons with an expert teacher.

This is a national scheme coordinated locally by Brighton & Hove City Council and used by 16 schools in the city.

Fast forward six years – and the first pupils to have received Reading Recovery left for secondary school having caught up with their peers and with a love of reading.

Many of these children went on to become ‘reading buddies’ and school librarians.

Middle Street’s Reading Recovery teacher, Vicky Hemstedt, said: “The programme has had a massive impact in our school, not just with improved exam results but also in terms of behaviour and engagement in class.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see children’s sheer joy and boosted self-esteem when they become successful readers and writers."

The council’s Reading Recovery coordinator, Louise Zahra, said: “Reading is a fundamental skill – children simply can’t achieve their potential without it.

“The Reading Recovery programme has had a massive impact in all the schools who have used it – it’s literally changed the lives of thousands of our city’s children.”