SCHOOLCHILDREN in Mold have come up with a barking idea to improve their literacy skills – reading to dogs.
Pupils at Ysgol Bryn Coch read to their own designated four-legged friend every Monday as part of the READ2DOGS scheme by Pets As Therapy.
This week German Shepherd Amber, Irish Wolfhound Paddywack and Tibetan Terrier Patch took their turn to be mentors.
Headteacher Lynne Williams says this bizarre approach helps to boost the confidence of reluctant readers.
She said: “It takes all the nerves out of reading for the pupils because they are all eager to read to the dogs.
“The Oxford Reading Tree books have proved especially popular among the dogs as they seem to enjoy the pictures.
“The children absolutely love it. The dogs have helped them so much.”
Twenty pupils have struck up furry friendships with the animals and read to them in 30-minute sessions over the course of a morning.
Feedback is given directly from their canine coach during the sessions.
“The dogs wail when they enjoy the stories so the kids know they are doing well,” added Mrs Williams.
Buckinghamshire-based Pets As Therapy takes temperament-tested and vaccinated dogs and cats to hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and special needs schools for therapeutic visits.
The READ2DOGS scheme was launched in December 2010 following a successful pilot programme in Westfields Junior School in Yateley, Hampshire.
Pets As Therapy chief executive Maureen Hennis said: “Research shows that children can be nervous and stressed when reading to others in a group.
“But when a Pets As Therapy dog enters the group the child becomes less stressed and less self conscious.
“Before long the children are looking forward to the reading experience as they are going to read to their new friend.”
More than 90 schools across the UK have signed up for the pioneering scheme.