Research suggests, young children whose parents read them one book a day will hear about 290,000 more words by age 5 than those who don't regularly read books with a parent or carer. This significant ‘word gap' could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development. Children who hear more vocabulary words are better prepared to see those words in print and are more likely to pick up reading skills with greater ease and with speed.

One of the greatest barriers for our Pupil Premium and even non-Pupil Premium students, is reading. Some claim to not like reading, others can never find a book they ‘like’, whilst in reality, the majority struggle to read with age-appropriate fluency, which in turn puts them off reading entirely. One of the quickest gains in the classroom is for teachers to model or indeed “show off” good reading. There is nothing our students love more, than being read to and this is a very valuable use of time. It also encourages students to develop a reading voice, learn new vocabulary and correct pronunciation.