Students are also given the opportunity to read for pleasure at the end of Period 5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The whole school ‘drops everything and reads’ (DEAR Time) for 20 minutes to round the day off in the same way it began.

 

Every student has a DEAR bookmark which they can use to keep the place in the book they are reading for DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) which is during the last 20 minutes of every day for years 7-10. 

Teachers will read with the pupils, modelling excellence in reading and demonstrating that everybody at Henley Bank has a passion for reading. Also, there will be the opportunity for pupils to share what they have read and discuss their books at the end of the session. 

Pupils have a range of activities in the last 20 minutes of the day that are designed to support their learning and broaden their horizons. 

On Monday there is a Drop Everything and Listen (DEAL) that includes teachers sharing videos about something they have a passion for or reading an extract from a non-fiction book. This allows pupils to discover the world through their teachers' eyes. 

On Wednesday there is Drop Everything, Everyone Practice (DEEP). This is a programme designed to teach pupils strategies they can use to learn and revise independently, as well as explain the reasons behind other programmes at Henley Bank such as DEAR and DEAL. 

Finally, on Friday there is another DEAL. This DEAL is a piece of music that is played to the whole school. Pupils are given the opportunity to listen to this piece of music (often chosen by staff) and then discuss it afterwards.