A SCHOOL librarian is working to help young people to improve their reading.

Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 at the Maltings Academy in Witham who need additional support with their reading have been spending time in the library.

Each week, the students read a book of their choice out loud to librarian Claudia Wilson, before focusing on key words, spelling and definitions linked to their subject learning.

Librarian Claudia Wilson said: “Each class is designed to meet the individual needs of the students within the group and the pace of each session can be adjusted to allow for different rates of learning.

“Giving students a safe space to read when they find it hard has really made an impact on their confidence.

"Students have shown great progress, with a number of students who originally stated they did not like reading, now taking books home on loan from the library or reading in their free time at school.

“It has been such a pleasure to see students gain a renewed enjoyment for reading and watch their confidence grow.”