Story: Lizzie and Lydia’s story
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When I first met Jess I was really shy and didn’t speak much but now I talk a lot, like, a lot!
Lizzie and Lydia are both in their final year at Roughwood Primary School in Rotherham. They are both taking part in The Oracy and Reading Project led by Wingfield Academy in Normanton, West Yorkshire.
The project pairs small groups of primary children with 17-year-old mentors, who have received training in how to inspire and teach the younger students.
They take part in regular sessions designed to improve their skills and boost their confidence in reading and speaking as they make the move to secondary.
To begin with, Lizzie and Lydia were both very shy about sharing ideas with their mentor Jess. But as the project progressed, they soon came out of their shells.
The friends are now happy to vocalise their opinions and to read aloud, and have come to realise that older students are not as scary as they previously thought.