Turning Pages, Changing Lives: Our Literacy Partnership with Miltonbank

A top team of Sixth Year pupils have been giving their time to help support literacy amongst young people in Glasgow throughout the course of the session.

Since October, nearly 20 pupils have been visiting Miltonbank Primary School every Wednesday afternoon as part of the 'Fabulous Fluent Readers' after school club, partnering with 16 Primary 1 to Primary 6 pupils to help engender a love for learning and further develop reading fluency skills. Elaine Easton, Deputy Head Teacher at Miltonbank, has been instrumental to setting up the programme.

The pupils at Miltonbank have developed strong bonds with their our Sixth Year tutors and nearly six months in to the programme, they remain extremely excited about attending the club each week.

With more than 70% of the pupils at Miltonbank Primary having additional support needs, it is testament to the care, warmth and connection between High School and Miltonbank pupils that 100% of the pupils continue to attend each week, with all sixteen pupils stating that they felt that their reading had improved since attending the club.

Feedback from the young people of Miltonbank included their happiness at being truly listened to by our Sixth Year tutors, and that they help to make reading "fun and exciting" - exactly what picking up a good book should do for young minds! In addition, the promise of the chance to partake in a biscuit or two certainly did not do any harm!

Our Sixth Year tutors were similarly enthused, with comments including the following:

I really felt the value of helping others. There was something really special about having the pupils thank you and tell you how much you've helped them. Seeing them grow in curiosity and excitement over reading was also really great to see!"

It's very rewarding and helps boost your confidence as well as theirs."

Head of Sixth Year and Director of Innovation, Mr Philip Ford, who has helped facilitate the programme, commented:

"Watching our Sixth Year pupils grow in confidence and compassion as they invest their time in the young people of Miltonbank has been great to witness. This initiative embodies everything we believe in - that the greatest thing we can do with our talents is share them with others, and in doing so, discover something remarkable about ourselves in the process."

Initiatives like this are a reminder of the profound difference that a school can make when it reaches beyond its own walls and extends its hand to the wider community.

The High School is uniquely placed to open doors of opportunity - not only for its own pupils, but for young lives across Glasgow. For our Sixth Years, giving their time, their patience and their warmth to nurture a love of reading amongst Miltonbank Primary pupils is a wonderful gift to give - it speaks volumes about the character and compassion that flourishes at the High School. We hope these initiatives continue to bloom and inspire!