By Gavin Mackintosh-
Pupils at a Lincolnshire school have each been given a free book to mark the start of term as part of a new initiative.
Year 7 students at King Harold Academy choser from 17 titles at the start of the autumn term, as part of a BookBuzz scheme.
The scheme is part of the national book charity Book Trust, aimed at promoting positive attitudes towards reading for pleasure and enjoyment. It was set to develop a reading culture at the school. King Harold Academy is one of those UK secondary schools pushing for high standards amongst its pupils and creates a healthy competititve and academic environment for its pupils, who have been responding positively to the training schemes adopted by the school authoritites.
Rated as a good school by ofsted for a number of years running, pupils at the school are reputed to be smart, well mannered, and co-operative with the efforts of teachers to bring the best out of them. Unlike many schools where the pupils speak negatively agbout the teachers and the school, King Edward Academy has succeded in establishing a respectable relationship with its pupils, who are overwhelming positive in their feedback about the school. Up to a dozen pupils in a group spoken to by the eye of media.com were full of praise for the school and its teachers, saying they were hardworking and committed to the progress and development of the school. ”The teachers here are very nice and want what is best for us”, said one male pupil who declined to give his name, they pay attention to our individual needs and circumstances, and have always worked hard to improve on our weaknesses. They make us feel important”. Commenting on the traditin of reading being established in the school, he said ” reading is an important of mental development, so our school is bringing us up the right way. It means we get to broaden our minds and intellect in a way that will benefit us”
‘Another female pupil said ” the teachers here make us feel special, they want all of us to turn out to be a success, and tell us nobody but ourselves can stop us from achieving our full potential”. We also sometimes work in groups and all of us students want to see evrybody do well, we often discuss our work together before and after class”. Positive feedback about their school from UK secondary school pupils are not common, but neither are they rare. Schools that invest the correct efforts and strategy with their pupils will get the desired positive results, except in schools that have particular problematic children from troublesome backgrounds.
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Apart from the good quality academic coaching pupils receive in their various subjects, pupils are encouraged to read books as part of their extra curricula reading, to build on their primary school education and establish a solid foundation on which to prepare for their G.C.S.E’s and further education at the latter stages of their education. Pupils from King Edward Academy are clearly happy about the reading scheme and will be given an opportunity to present to the classroom the book they read and what they learnt from it. The eye of media.com also heard that each student will be tested on the book the read after giving a presentation to the class early next year.The school approach with its pupils is very impressive and bound to maintain the high standards they have established.
School librarian, Giselle Morris, told the eye of media.com: “It’s been such a pleasure to witness the excitement the Year 7 students have shown at choosing and receiving their new books.
“There is such a great range of titles from established and up-and-coming authors.
“The students have absolutely loved it, and what’s even better is that they already have a keen enthusiasm and affection towards books and reading.”
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