Harrogate Living Oct - Nov 2023

Instilling the Love
of Literacy from the
Roots of Chapter House
It is important to instil a love of literacy from an early age as literacy skills span far
wider what just picking up a book. Karen Kilkenny, Head of Chapter House School and
Queen’s Kindergarten at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate talks through the innovative
ways in which they ensure each and every pupil enjoys reading from a young age.
In Chapter House, literacy and learning is at the heart of
everything we do. Time is made every day specifically to
enjoy sharing a book together, and each class has a specific
time to visit the Chapter House library. This allows them to
choose a book they can take home to share with parents
and siblings.
One of our most successful, and popular initiatives has
been the introduction of our reading dog, Indie, especially
with our younger children. It has increased the confidence
of reluctant readers by having a non-judgemental audience.
The children are purely reading for pleasure with no one
pointing out mistakes or questioning them on the text. It is
an initiative where we have seen their confidence increase
and their reading has become more animated, with more
expression – one Year 1 child’s reading age has improved by
two years over one term, and they are more curious about
reading different texts.
Throughout the school, we bring books to life to spark
imaginations. One of the ways we do this is a whole school
project around a single book, all age groups from nursery
upwards completed mini projects which were then shared
with the rest of the school in an assembly. Children are also
encouraged to create their own dioramas (three-dimensional
models of a scene with characters), with dressing up and
10 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
acting out their own versions of popular books and poems,
such as ‘that’s not my stick’ and ‘the naughty bus’.
Year 5 students are encouraged to be librarians,
recommending books to their peers, create displays in
the library and have the opportunity to share books with
younger pupils. This vital engagement, extends beyond
the classroom with regular parent information meetings on
reading, sharing new school initiatives and advice on how
they can support their child with reading at home.
Chapter House is a vibrant and engaging school that
focuses on providing an enabling environment which
respects, recognises and tunes into each unique child;
central to our mission of ensuring each child can be ‘the
best they can be, with the gifts that they have’. We accept
students with a range of abilities, skills and interests and
ensure every child has an individual learning pathway which
is tailored specifically to them to ensure they have the mosteffective
approach for their learning.
To find out more about Chapter House, come to one of our
open mornings on 30th September or 18th November or visit
our website: www.qe.org. Alternatively, feel free to email
admissions@qe.org to book a private tour with one of our
friendly staff.
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