Doncaster schoolboy, nine, awarded prestigious nationwide reading title

Damarai Tayo, a pupil at Long Toft Primary School in Church Road, Stainforth, was selected as one of only 15 pupils nationwide to receive the title of Reading Plus Champion.

Damarai was chosen from more than 130,000 pupils using the DreamBox Reading Plus programme, which is designed to improve reading skills and foster engagement with reading among youngsters.

The Reading Plus Champion title is awarded to pupils who demonstrate excellence and significant progress while using the programme.

Olivia Workman, a Year 5 Teacher at Long Toft Primary said: “I am very proud that Damarai has become a Reading Plus Champion!

"Damarai works so hard consistently and it’s lovely to see him be rewarded in a very special way for his fantastic work ethic.”

As part of his recognition, Damarai will receive a prize kit to celebrate and support the role, and engage in activities such as writing blogs for the Reading Solutions UK website and interviewing children’s authors.

Damarai said: “I'm happy to be a Reading Plus Champion. It is a lot of responsibility and fun. When I start a book or text, I cannot stop reading it because it gets too interesting and I don’t want to put it down.”

Reading Solutions UK, providers of Reading Plus, organise initiatives to support their programme’s efforts in improving pupils’ reading skills and promote reading for pleasure.

Olivia continued: “Our Year 5 children love the freedom Reading Plus gives them to choose a text that interests them and they feel more confident with their vocabulary tasks.

"I like that it provides unlimited opportunities to read and respond to a range of texts, similar to those they’d encounter on tests, but which they find interesting enough to enjoy in their own right.”

Matt Lewis, Reading Development Consultant for Reading Plus, said: “Damarai should be incredibly proud of his achievement and I can’t wait to see what he continues to achieve in his new role.”

For more information about Reading Plus, you can visit the website at www.readingsolutionsuk.co.uk for further details.