Newhaven College Prep students celebrated a very special milestone at the end of Term 1 – the presentation of reading folders, marking the beginning of their journey towards becoming proficient readers.

The students' families participated in the much anticipated celebration by joining in a book reading party.

The junior school has introduced a new reading program into its curriculum this year, based on the Science of Reading Program.

The program addresses how children learn to read, how to ensure every student learns to read, and what to do if a child encounters difficulty with reading, said Cath Huther, Head of Junior School, as she explained the change.

"Our commitment to implementation of  the Science of Reading program aims to ensure that the best possible literacy instruction is delivered to every student, based on the research undertaken. 

"Research demonstrates that there is a known pathway to reading in the brain, which relies on connecting speech sounds to identify the printed word, and the program is based on this finding.

"Instead of asking children to memorise words, letter sounds are introduced to students, who learn that a particular letter, or sequence of letters, has different sounds. After these are taught, words can be successfully sounded out.

"Children with disabilities, dyslexia or no challenges at all benefit from this method," Cath said.

"As the Science of Reading research points out, if a child memorises ten words, the child can read ten words. But if a child can identify the sounds of ten letters, and letter sequences, the child will be able to read 350 three-letter words, 4320 four-letter words, and 21,650 five-letter words.

"Children can pick up a reader with relative confidence, when they have the tools to identify words in the books they are presented with."

Cath said a lot of time, focus and accumulation of resources has been spent at Newhaven College in implementing the Science of Reading approach, and that results at this early stage reflect a very positive impact.

"Our dedicated teachers have been working to build up our resources to run this program, and results are impressive", she says.

All Junior School students are given decodable reading folder to take home which is designed to help children and parents build on what has been taught at school.

Additionally, Year 3-6 students are also benefiting from a new program called Spelling Mastery, which combines with the new reading program.

Cath is enthusiastic about the early results, and pleased to see nightly reading habits with parents flourishing at home.

"Our ultimate aim is simple: to foster a love for reading; growth in literacy skills; and to ensure that every child at Newhaven College learns to read and reads well."