Brenda the Vendor
Brenda the Vendor is an initiative here at BTHCC to help get our students reading.
Data suggests that as children move into secondary school, their interest in reading outside of school drops down from 54% in Year 4, to 30% in Year 8.
It is everyone’s job here at BTHCC to motivate our students to read for pleasure, and so we have introduced the lovely Brenda to try and promote more reading outside of the classroom. Brenda is filled with brand-new books, some of which are student recommendations, ready for students to spend their book tokens. To win a book token, students are encouraged to participate in their BTHCC Reads sessions in the Together for Good programme. Students do not need to be the most fluent or expressive reader to win a book token. Instead, all we ask for is confidence and engagement in reading.
Outside Together for Good, students can win book tokens through teacher nominations. Staff can award book tokens to those students who are consistently trying their hardest in subjects; those students who have gone above or beyond; or those students who have produced a fantastic piece of work in any of their subject areas. Students who have participated in extracurricular activities are also nominated for a book token to develop their love of reading even further.
Each week we award our students with their book tokens, giving them a sense of pride and achievement.