“Basically my role is to promote literacy with the students, and to work with teachers in improving literacy standards in our school.” Ms Wilks said.“I rotate around the classes, team teaching with the class teacher.

“Although this is my second year in the position here, it is my fifth year in the role. I have been teaching now for over 30 years, including six years I spent on Christmas Island before coming to Bridgetown.

“Part of my job is to enlist the help of volunteers to listen to the students reading and offer some training in the basics of supporting early readers.

“I will also be promoting the importance of parents doing homework reading with their children.” Ms Wilks said.

According to the Education Department, reading to an adult every day is an essential part of learning to read for children. And, reading familiar books, where the child knows 99 per cent of the words, helps the child to become a fluent and confident reader. As fluency increases, the child is able to focus on understanding the text.

Unfortunately, many children in their home environment are put at a disadvantage by not having the opportunity to read to an adult, Ms Wilks said.

So, having volunteers to listen to children read before school, or to work with them on a regular basis, would offer invaluable to children who struggle with reading.

“We urgently need volunteers,” Ms Wilks said. “While the official Support a Reader program was set up for a volunteer to work with the same child every week, we want to offer a greater flexibility for people who may like to come in before school to listen to a child read or would perhaps like to help in a class room during literacy block.”

A Support a Reader training program will be run on Thursdays, Feb-ruary 26, and March 5, from 1.45pm to 3pm at the Bridgetown Primary School. “It will be open to anyone who would like to volunteer. The training is also open to any parent who is interested in information on how students learn to read, but is unable to help personally,” Ms Wilks said.

You can get more details from the school by phoning 9761 1102.