HARROW Way Community School in Andover has become the first in the country to trial a new reading scheme.

Leading English teacher Carol Wood has been chosen as the year eight representative for the National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) guided reading project, which has been designed for years seven, eight and nine as part of the Government's national strategy for key stage three.

Pupils cover five different books in a series of 11 group reading sessions using active reading strategies. During each one, Carol works closely with one of the groups on their specific text.

"The way it works is the children are split into groups and given texts, so we have five lessons going on in the same classroom which encourages a variety of reading activities," said Carol, who is also in charge of the key stage three literacy reading strategy at Harrow Way.

"It has changed the whole nature of teaching in the department.

"By year 11, the pupils should have become better readers and the As and Bs of the future, enabling them to fulfil their potential."

It is hoped the guided reading project, by developing pupils' reading skills, will also have a wider impact in preparing them for life after school.

Carol said: "It works well across the curriculum, not only by improving their ways of engaging in their literacy in English, but helping pupils to become responsible for their own learning."

Mike Bennett, head of year eight and head of history, added: "It's working really well, the pupils are working very effectively.

"I've been particularly impressed with the way they help each other with their reading and activities to enable them all to answer the questions."

Once the project is completed and the feedback has been delivered, the scheme will be published on the web and made available for teachers to download as a recommended scheme for English.

Carol said: "We're trying to be quite innovative in what we are doing in the English department and the school. "We're very forward thinking across the curriculum."