Whole school continues to benefit from improvements
Reading has taken on a new lease of life across all areas of Rydal Penrhos in recent months. This is down in no small part to its importance not only for academic development, but sitting down with a good book can also improve creativity and wellbeing.
The school has made some substantial improvements to reading accessibility at both the Prep and Senior sites, which has seen the Watkinson Library – named after much-loved former Headmaster Peter Watkinson – for the primary use for those in Key Stage 3 and 4, a Sixth Form reading section within the Ferguson Centre and plenty of exciting developments for the youngest members of the Rydal Penrhos community.
The Prep School recently updated its reading scheme – the Oxford Reading Tree – in order to ensure that pupils have all the recent titles and resources to call upon to boost progression in and out of the classroom.
Pupils were also able to bring some books home during the holidays from the Prep School library, with those involved with the school’s Accelerated Reader scheme accessing reading resources online over the three-week break. The Accelerated Reader has quizzes on more than 200,000 books, ensuring pupils never run out of choices and are allowed to develop at their own pace reading either at school or from the comfort of their own homes.
Staff will also play a huge part in the programme, gaining an insight into pupils’ quiz results and using this information to monitor progress and personalise lesson plans to fit with just how individuals and the group, in general, are getting on.
Mrs Lucy Davies, Head of Rydal Penrhos Prep School, said: “Reading is fundamental to learning and we are continuing with our focus on reading throughout all of the year groups at Rydal Penrhos. We are appealing for any donations of fiction and non-fiction books, which parents no longer use, for our school library. We will be consulting the pupils, via the school council, as to which titles they would like us to buy next.”
The recent reading drive throughout the school received a substantial amount of support from the Rydal Penrhos Society, with the alumni group making a generous £5,000 donation for books at both sites that have already been delivered and we have recently received another kind donation of £1,000 from the estate of Mr Neil Scott Griffiths (RS 1949-55) with which more books have been purchased.
Good literacy levels and confidence in reading and comprehension are strongly connected to high attainment in school, a fact that does not go unrecognised by the excellent teaching staff at Rydal Penrhos, who are always looking at new innovative ways to achieve this.
Although pupils are now being educated in an increasingly digital age, Rydal Penrhos is keen to ensure that more traditional methods of learning remain to diversify cognitive skills and maintain a balance that stands them in enormously good stead throughout their education, at university and when they join the working world.
Rydal Penrhos has made substantial investments to its reading accessibility across all year groups in recent months, which has proven to be hugely popular and is already paying dividends with outstanding pupil progression academically and creatively.
Not only this, but teaching staff are also eager to highlight the continued importance of the written word despite the impressive technology available to them following the introduction of free iPads for every child from Years 3-13, which is reflected in some thought-provoking classroom projects to develop this key area.
As a school, we know our children are individuals and respond to different learning and teaching methods. And our curriculum reflects this.
A recent classroom activity involving Year 4 was another fine example of mixing the digital with the traditional, which centred around teacher Jamie McLeod exploring Odes with the enthusiastic group.
An ode is a lyrical poem that expresses praise, glorification, or tribute. It examines its subject from both an emotional and an intellectual perspective.
Classic odes date back to ancient Greece, and they contain three sections: a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode - effectively a beginning, middle, and end.
Year 4 tackled this task with their customary determination and inquisitiveness, deciphering the structure of an Ode quickly and creating some fantastic work.
Mr McLeod - complete with his new green screen on-site - got our wonderful pupils to recite their Odes in front of a camera and put it all together in another fantastic video for the school and wider community to enjoy.
Exceptional work once again from Year 4, we are incredibly proud of you!
