On Wednesday 21st November Millbank held a 'Sporty sleepover' with hot chocolate and cookies for everyone who came back to school at 5:30 for an hour.

Children and parents were invited to dress up in their pyjamas slippers and night gown and read have a bedtime story read to them. The point was just to remind them how important and how much fun reading a bedtime story was for children of all ages.

'Parental involvement in reading has more of an influence on children's achievement than any other factor - including how well educated or rich their parents are,' said Julia Strong from the National Literary Trust.

One of the Trust's recent reports found that having books at home encouraged youngsters to think of reading as an enjoyable activity. Those who read for pleasure had higher reading attainment, better writing ability, wider vocabularies and better general knowledge.

Reading aloud to children gives 'one to one' help. 'It gives them exposure to words and consolidates whatever's being taught in school, reinforcing it,' she said. 'Parents can pronounce the words again and can explain, maybe better than a teacher can.' (but if you do want help, ask the teachers and they can advise you or point you in the right direction)

Dads are more likely to read to their children at bedtime than any other time during the day, they act as a positive role model reducing the national trend for teenage boys to disengage from literacy. But most dads think its a great thing to do anyway and really enjoy their time with their children! As a school we were delighted to see so many Dads making the effort and coming straight from work to join their families. Again they all seemed to enjoy it

Here are our Top Tips for Bedtime Reading:-

· Read together in your child’s bedroom where it’s quiet and away from distractions.
· While you might get bored reading the same story time and time again, most young children love repetition; as it helps develop confidence. Indulge them if they want to revisit the same stories.
· Ask your child to point out pictures and talk about what’s happening in the story.
· If your child has a particular interest, tailor your choice of books to capture their imagination.
· Pick stories with a happy ending – it helps your child feel secure and look forward to their bedtime tale.
· Ask questions about what you’re reading to help develop concentration, memory and language – and offer praise for knowing the answers.
· Don’t worry about trying to teach tiny tots to read - emphasising sounds and letters can distract from the experience. Remember reading will happen in due course.
· Children are never too old to be read to - it’s easier for them to grasp difficult words and concepts when they are spoken aloud than trying to read and absorb them themselves.
· Don’t worry about sounding silly. The more funny voices you use the more your child will enjoy it.
· Allow your youngster to hold the book and turn the pages as you read.

Steve Thompson who plays for Cardiff City came along to the event and caused a lot of excitement with the children (and some of the mums too!) He was so busy posing for photographs with the children and signing autographs that he did not get much chance to read his book

At the end of the event Steve presented some of the classes and children with certificates. Everyone was very impressed and said he really was a nice bloke so a huge thank you to him and Cardiff City for sending him along.

We are very lucky at Millbank that we have mums and dads who are prepared to support their children's enthusiasm for learning by coming to such events. But we also have to say a big 'Thank You!' to the teaching staff who love the school so much they are prepared to give up their own time to stay behind and help. Thanks to Alison Court who is the local coordinator for the RMWW scheme and came along to read to the children and huge thanks to Steve who gave up his time.

If you want to find out more about Steve's Career have a look at his page on the Official CCFC page

You can see the schools launch of the RMWW event on our world book day, our sporting breakfast, our letter from 10 Downing Street and the Harry Potter stamps Arad Goch RMWW Theatre Visit and the RMWW websiteitself