Local Year 10 student wins National reading award

Aaran Desphande, age 14 from Elstree Screen Arts Academy (ESA), has won the national reading award ‘Reading Plus Star of the Year’ for his hard work and effort leading to significant reading improvement. 

Pippa Walden, Reading Lead at ESA who nominated Aaran, said: “Aaran stood out for this award due to his next level dedication and commitment. He was not the most confident in his abilities; however, this didn’t stop him from giving 100% and significantly increasing his skills.

“His positive attitude influences others around him and he always offers support and encouragement.”

Aaran received this recognition as part of the annual Reading Plus Awards – an event organised by Reading Solutions UK to celebrate the achievements of students, teachers and schools nationwide for their academic achievements using the online reading development programme DreamBox Reading Plus.

Pippa continued: “He has nearly doubled his words per minute this year, he is one of our highest vocab gains in the programme, and he has improved his reading significantly. In his free time, he is now often seen with a book reading for pleasure, and I love how the programme has supported him to explore the literacy world with a new confidence.”

Aaran received a trophy, certificate and £25 Amazon voucher in recognition of his award. 

Chris Mitchell, Principal at ESA, said: "Well done, Aaran. Reading Plus is a crucial part of how we support young people to become fully empowered participants in our world, and Aaran is a fantastic representative of our Reading Plus students who are ever improving as readers and creative communicators at ESA."

Reading Plus is an adaptive reading programme designed for Year 3 to Year 11 students to develop fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Matt Lewis, Reading Development Consultant at Reading Solutions UK, said: “Aaran’s outstanding effort is wonderful to see, and his reading progress is remarkable. We can’t wait to watch him grow into an even more confident reader.” 

To find out more about Reading Plus, visit https://www.readingsolutionsuk.co.uk/.