Pupils at Featherstone High in Southall have been helping primary school children with their homework as part of an initiative between local schools.
The Year 8s have given up their time to help Clifton Primary youngsters as part of the ‘1-2-1 Reading Buddy’ and ‘Homework Club’ programmes. The idea is to improve the reading skills of the younger pupils and prepare them for homework; while also boosting the confidence of the older children.
These initiatives are carried out every day after school by the 35 volunteer students, who go across to Clifton to carry it out. The reading scheme is for students from Year 3 to Year 6 and the homework club is for years 2-6.
Teachers at the schools have said it has proven to be a very useful exercise for the Clifton pupils to work with the older students and, in return, the Featherstone High children have grown in confidence – with some now thinking they would like to teach when they are older.
Deputy head at Featherstone, Ms Winters, said: “We want to commend our dedicated Year 8s for volunteering and giving up their time. It has been a fantastic experience for them and they have all enjoyed it and grown in their own abilities and confidence.”
Headteacher at Clifton, Ms Greenglass, added: “The Year 8s who have been coming here as homework mentors and now as reading mentors are absolutely brilliant. We love having them.”
Sajahir, one of the Year 8 volunteers, said: “I want to help the younger children so that they do better at school and can get a good job in the future. I’d have liked to have had someone help me out when I was in Year 5.”
Another of the volunteers, Pawanpreet, said: “I enjoy doing the homework club because it’s fun and the Year 5s are kind and fun to interact with. I go in my own time after school with other students from my year group to help. It has been a great, new experience for me.”
Nimco, one of the Year 5 pupils, said: ‘The homework mentors from Featherstone High School are kind, funny and really help us to understand the questions in our homework.”
