Why do we have Reading Buddies?

Peer mentoring is a powerful, underused tool in schools. One Study suggests that partnering peers can have a positive influence on a student’s learning, and students who are older, more capable readers can be these peers for young students.

With this in mind, we at Whiteheath use a practice called Reading Buddies. Reading Buddies is a concept that pairs different year groups for community reading time. All of year 5 visit Year 1 once a term to share reading time and Year 5/6 successful applicants read with small groups of year 3 children once a week.

The children gather in a classroom or the library, or even outside on a sunny afternoon. The younger students pick the books at first so they get hooked with an interesting read. The older students share some of their favourites too. As the year progresses and the skills of the younger readers increase, the students take turns reading to each other, giving everyone a chance to show off.

The benefits are profound. Reading Buddies allows younger readers to see what being fluent looks like as they have a peer model demonstrating reading skills; they can also acquire a positive role model with some intentional pairing. The older students develop social and emotional skills like patience and empathy as they work with their littler buddies. This program of cooperative learning is a great way for us to build community in the school and to promote reading, which are goals for nearly every school. Both sets of students get excited about Reading Buddies