CASE STUDY · KINIA’S READING BUDDY PROGRAMME
Reading together, one page at a time
How volunteers and students at Francis Street School in Dublin’s inner city, built confidence, friendship and a real love of reading over the course of eight weeks, that ended with a visit to a working office, and a glimpse of what’s possible.
13
Students
supported
8
Weeks
2:1
Students per
volunteer
30
Minutes reading
each week
What is the Reading Buddy Programme?
Reading Buddy pairs volunteers from local employers or secondary schools with primary school students for weekly one-to-one reading. Before they set foot in a classroom, volunteers complete Kinia’s Reading Buddy training and learn how to lead a session with confidence and kindness, and how to make reading feel like something to look forward to.
At Francis Street School, each student was paired with a volunteer from Elgin, an internationally renowned but local solar company. Together they read for half an hour, once a week, over the course of eight weeks, building reading skills and just as importantly, a genuine relationship along the way.
ORGANISATION
Francis Street School
ORGANISATION TYPE
Primary School DEIS
EDUCATOR
Maebh Ryan
PARTNER
Elgin
Meeting the students where they are
Francis Street is a DEIS inner-city boys’ school with many students learning English as an additional language. For lots of the boys involved, books weren’t a regular part of home life, and reading aloud in class could feel daunting.
That’s exactly where Reading Buddy is designed to help, not with pressure, but with a patient, friendly adult who turns up every week just to read with them.
St. Francis Street School, Dublin 8.
A simple, repeatable rhythm
01
Students supported
Every volunteer completes Reading Buddy training, so they arrive ready to lead a session with confidence and warmth.
02
Weekly reading
Weekly thirty minute sessions for eight weeks, enough consistency to build trust and momentum.
03
Relationships first
Reading practice matters, but the relationship comes first. That’s what keeps students coming back excited each week.
The programme has been absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The volunteers were brilliant with the class every single week, and it has been such a joy to watch. Each of the boys has improved so much in their reading, not only in terms of fluency but also confidence. Even more importantly, their enjoyment of reading and love of books has grown dramatically.
MAEBH RYAN
Educator, Francis Street School
Relationships that
go beyond the page
The clearest sign of success wasn’t on a reading level chart, it was in the excitement. Week on week, the question changed from “When are our buddies coming?” to “I can’t wait to tell my buddy this!” and “Can we show this to our buddies?”
During free time, boys who once reached straight for puzzles or colouring sheets started reaching for books instead, choosing to read, all on their own.
A volunteer, Lauren, sent in playing cards so her student Hugo could keep up the card games and tricks they’d shared. A small gesture, and one that meant the world to him.
For a DEIS community, these sustained, genuine relationships are the point. Reading Buddy isn’t a one off visit, it’s a real connection between a young person and someone from their wider community who shows up, week after week.
A visit that opened doors
The programme finished with a visit to Elgin’s office: a full tour, and a talk from Ultan, one of the reading buddies, on green and solar energy. The boys were captivated, asking question after question, seeing for the first time what a workplace and a future career in green and solar energy could actually look like.
Nate, a quieter student usually, came into his own. He asked brilliant questions and stayed back afterwards for a chat with Ultan. It was the kind of moment that can shift how a young person sees themselves.
The day closed with Reading Buddy certificates, goody bags, and a pizza and spice-bag party – A celebration of how far every one of the boys had come.
It has been so refreshing and rewarding for our team, and we have all thoroughly enjoyed it. Every week we left the school with a spring in our step after the sessions.
ELGIN VOLUNTEER
The office visit – students touring the workplace and meeting the team.
Students proudly showing their Reading Buddy certificates alongside Elgin volunteers at the graduation party.
13 students, eight weeks, and a measurable lift in reading fluency and confidence.
Beyond the numbers, the change educators noticed most was enjoyment: students choosing books in their own free time, and a love of reading that grew right through the programme. Reading Buddy delivers real literacy gains while building lasting relationships between schools, students and local employers.
Curriculum Connections
Curriculum Online Primary Reading Outcomes
01 |
02 |
03 |
| Developing communicative relationships through language | Understanding the content and structure of language |
|
| Choose, read and critically respond to texts in a range of genres and languages across the curriculum for pleasure, interest and specific purposes. Read texts in a variety of genres effortlessly with appropriate pace, accuracy and expression for a variety of audiences. |
Use a range of word identification strategies flexibly and with confidence when reading instructional and independent-level texts across the curriculum. Use existing language skills and knowledge to decipher text in other languages. |
Develop their interest in and enjoyment of literature and reading in a variety of genres across the curriculum. Compare and select comprehension strategies flexibly and interchangeably and use background knowledge to engage with text in a variety of genres independently or collaboratively. |
Bring the Reading Buddy Programme to your school
Kinia connects schools with trained volunteers from local employers and TY programmes for reading that builds skills, confidence and community.
Talk to us: kinia.ie/contact
