Halesowen College’s well-established Reading Buddies group continues to thrive with the newest student arrivals; offering meaningful opportunities for sanctuary seeking students to connect with the wider student community and develop their English proficiency.

Students across college are invited to volunteer their time to talk to and read with students from our ESOL programme. This helps build bonds of friendship between students from different courses who have differing life experiences and allows students for whom English is their second language to become more confident with their speaking and comprehension skills. This is particularly helpful for students who want to pick up more colloquial or regional language and have a greater understanding of their peers.

Enrichment Coordinator Erika Walkington says, “It’s great to see students from a wide
range of courses come together during the Reading Buddies sessions. Talking and making new friends is as important as reading. All students involved benefit from these sessions, making valuable connections with peers outside of their main social groups.”