BUCKLEY pupils have been encouraged to "drop everything and read".

Year 7 pupils at Elfed High School have been whole-heartedly embracing their new literacy initiative. The DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) scheme has been implemented across the whole school to promote a love of books and reading.

Drop Everything and Read is exactly that. The activity has been timetabled so pupils, and teachers, stop what they're doing and lose themselves in a book for 25 minutes daily in school.

Research supports that those students who read for at least 20 minutes a day are more likely to make rapid progress in their academic attainment, whilst building their vocabulary intake.

Evidence suggests students who read for this amount of time will encounter an estimated 1,800,000 words over the course of a year, whereas reading for only one minute a day will result in only 8,000 words.

Catherine Anstey, school librarian, said: "These are great opportunities for Year 7s to reap the rewards from reading. Research demonstrates that there is strong evidence linking reading for pleasure with improved reading ability. This is hugely beneficial for pupils, as it impacts positively on all subjects across the whole of the National Curriculum."

To support students to track the progress of their reading, the school has invested in the Accelerated Reader program.

This program tests the students' comprehension of what they have just read and provides personalised feedback on their reading. Students are tested at the start of this process to determine their starting point and are frequently tested throughout the year to measure their progress made.

Jason Newham, Learning Director Languages, Literacy and Communication, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to encourage students to read for pleasure every day. Excellent literacy skills are vital for students to thrive in school, in the community and in the workplace.

"I am extremely proud to work in a school where all subjects across the curriculum are willing to promote reading for pleasure and model good practice.

"It is important that students see all members of staff, no matter what their specialist subject, reading for pleasure in the classroom.

"The students are thoroughly enjoying reading every day and I am confident that this will have a huge impact on their future attainment, foster a lifelong love for literature and improve their wellbeing."

Year 7 students, Benjamin De Jong and Jo Arrowsmith have been really enjoying their DEAR time this week.

Jo said: "I love reading and am looking forward to DEAR in PE.

Ben added: "It is really fun because it can happen during any lesson for 25 minutes a day. Normally, we would only read books in English lessons, so this is amazing because I get to read books in all my subjects."