An Ōmokoroa school is getting a lot of mileage out of its reading programme, which has evolved and grown significantly in the last few years.

“I can read way easier; I don’t have to guess the words now,” said a student who attended the Ōmokoroa Point School Reading Mileage Programme in 2024.

Assistant principal Michelle Buckland believed both the tutors and the students benefit immensely from the programme.

“Tutors read to the students, students read to the tutors, and students complete set tasks such as character studies, designing a book cover, writing a book recommendation, crosswords, word-finds and games such as Scrabble.

Ōmokoroa Point School Reading Mileage Programme student Mila Procter, 9, and tutor Michelle Buckland. Photo / David Hall

“During these sessions, the focus is on providing essential reading support, comprehension and fluency, plus developing a love for books and literature.”

Buckland said the school will soon have 28 tutors “which enables more than 40 students to have two 30-minute sessions of reading one-on-one [per week]”.

Another student from 2024 said the programme was fun. “The tutors were nice. It made books seem less boring. They helped me understand what I was reading about.”

Ōmokoroa Point School Reading Mileage Programme student Eddi Carter, 8, and tutor Peter Goad. Photo / David Hall

Buckland said the sessions are wonderful to observe “and both the tutors and the students tend to learn from each other”.

Another tutor, Sherryl, said she’d been a part of the programme since August 2023.

“I’m not sure who gets more out of it, the students or me,” she said.

“It’s so rewarding watching them gain more confidence as their reading improves with each week.”

Ōmokoroa Point School Reading Mileage Programme student Reef Bowker, 7, and tutor Val Barmes. Photo / David Hall

She said it goes beyond reading a book, there’s chit-chat and laughter, knitted friendship bracelets and more. “It’s a very easy, enjoyable role to do at such an awesome, supportive, caring school.”

Tutor Janene Holyoake said the one-on-one sessions make a big difference for the kids.

“We just go with the flow in a relaxed setting and over time you can see their confidence building and a genuine joy to be reading aloud to someone they trust.”

The tutors feel privileged to be a part of the programme and they appreciate the flexibility to allow them to respond to individual needs.

“To have a child transition from picture books to proper story books where they are keen to turn the page to see how the plot develops is a very special privilege,” said fellow tutor Peter Goad.