A BRADFORD school is using an unusual technique to encourage more children to read.

Shadow the Reading Dog is a regular visitor to Peel Park Primary School where he joins students for reading sessions.

Specially trained to sit and listen while the children read, Shadow’s visits have been credited with many pupils experiencing a big boost in their reading levels and confidence.

Shadow belongs to Tom Nowakowski, a learning mentor at the school.

He got the idea to bring the four year old Golden Retriever to school after noticing how intently he would sit and listen to his young children read aloud before they went to bed.

The pupils’ sessions with Shadow take place in the school’s nurture room, where they can step out of the classroom and learn in a more relaxed environment, surrounded by comfortable furniture and plenty of books.

In the sessions pupils read their books to Shadow before he gives “feedback” via Mr Nowakowski.

Mr Nowakowski said: “He comes in once a week during an after school club. In time we are hoping he becomes a regular fixture in the school.

“It is all part of the nurture room which I run. It is an inclusive, safe haven within the school, and we’ve seen it have a significant impact on the children who use it.

“One of our aims was to encourage children to read more, and support them to allow them to do that.

“We thought bringing Shadow in would be a great way to engage children more in reading.

“He sits and listens to them, then I kind of give him a voice, I’ll say to the children ‘Shadow thinks you were really fluent there’ or ‘you were really expressive when reading then.’

“Kids see him as a non judgemental person to read to, and they can have a play with him afterwards.

“We’re hoping to make him a kind of school mascot, have him come into assemblies.

“I was inspired by Shadow listening to my kids reading, and I did a bit of research about it.

“It has made a significant impact on the reading levels of the children who have been involved in these sessions. Some children who had no confidence in reading are now confident enough to read at assemblies.

“It has even improved attendance. He is a real motivational figure for the pupils.

“A lot of the children who have read to him are ones who teachers thought could do with a bit extra support.

“The parents have been so supportive in all of this.

“Shadow in a big part of my family, and now he is a big part of the Peel Park family.”

He said that many of the parents also attended the after school nurture sessions, and provided Shadow with a steady supply of treats as a thank you for the work he has done with the children.

Peel Park Primary’s efforts to improve pupils’ education recently saw it move from a “requires improvement” Ofsted rating to a good rating, with inspectors saying the school had “eradicated” poor teaching when they last visited in 2016.

The school’s ‘engage’ programme has seen numerous inspiring people from Bradford’s diverse community invited into the school to share their experiences with pupils and provide them with social and life skills.

Recent visitors to the school have included local firefighters and bosses and chefs from Mamma Mia’s Italian restaurant in Bradford city centre.