Christ’s School in Richmond upon Thames
has taken part in Premier League Reading Stars (PLRS) for the past two
years. PLRS is now part of Premier League Primary Stars, which
is available for free to every primary school in England and Wales. The programme has had a huge impact on pupils’
reading attainment, with 80% of pupils making more than expected progress
after taking part last year.
Assistant Headteacher Sarah Bromly is
delighted with the results of the programme. “Two pupils made two years’
progress, one pupil made three years’ progress, two pupils made four years’
progress and one pupil made a staggering five years’ progress in just 10
weeks,” Sarah said.
Sarah described how the programme has
engaged reluctant readers and transformed their attitudes towards reading.
“Premier League Reading Stars created a fantastic sense of excitement about
reading among participating pupils. They were all so excited about the
lessons and couldn’t wait to complete all of the challenges! Fixture two was
all about choosing books and pupils were all desperate to take their
favourite books home.”
“I think the fact that the programme is
football-based is key to its success. It offers exciting material and grabs
the attention of pupils who enjoy football but have built up barriers to
reading. As we choose a small number of pupils to participate, they feel
privileged to be part of the group,” Sarah added.
Sarah and her colleagues at Christ’s
School are looking forward to running the programme again next year. “We’ll
definitely be running Premier League Reading Stars again next year. It has
been such a positive experience and the programme is set up so well. We are
grateful for all of the support.”