Students meet Rita the reading dog

Rita visited with her owner, Gwen Saccheri, who is the Assistant Principal of the Birkenhead High School Academy, where Rita attends reading sessions with the students.

The sessions are designed to help students develop an enthusiasm for reading and to bring on their confidence as they read out loud to Rita.

Our Year 7 students took part in one of these reading sessions, choosing a Tom Gates book and then taking it in turns to read the story to her. Rita is trained to fall asleep while the students read to her and follows the Kennel Club Good Citizenship’s scheme in which she is close to completing her gold certificate.

Year 7 student, Logan, said; “Rita is so lovely and very calming, I think she really enjoyed the story we read to her.”

Rita’s visit forms part of an ongoing school strategy to encourage independent confidence in reading and to assist in increasing reading abilities.