From The Head - Friday 29th September 2023

From The Head - Friday 29th September 2023

Julia Langford, Headteacher of The Ryleys School, a private school in Alderley Edge, Cheshire

You will be well aware that as a school, we are huge advocates of reading and it is an area we frequently bring to your attention in both the newsletter and with school events to high- light its importance.

In assembly this morning, we revealed our latest library refurbishment and plans of how it will be used. Some staff and our librarians have been hard at work creating a wonderfully inspiring library environment to hopefully encourage the children to choose a new book by using the theme of 'BOOKFLIX' - no explanation of that origin is needed!

It is hoped that by using a popular and well-known brand that the children relate to, we can motivate them to translate their enjoyment of films and programmes into something more educational and beneficial. Sometimes, watching a film first really helps children to access the book as they have a general understanding of what it is about already, and there are plenty of books made into films to explore.

Diving into a book from a young age opens a world of knowledge and the exposure to a wide vocabulary, not only leads to higher scores on reading tests, but contributes to higher scores in intelligence tests. Furthermore, reading is a great way to relax and improves focus, con- centration and memory - what's not to love?! If fiction doesn't really capture your child's attention, non-fiction is a really good inroad into developing sound reading habits, including comics, newspapers and encyclopaedias. Anything will do!

As Dr. Seuss once wrote, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Wise words indeed!

Have a lovely weekend.

Julia Langford
Headteacher