This school year we’ve been chosen to be part of a forward-thinking Department of Education-funded research pilot project to support the teaching and learning of reading. There are over 15,000 children in Northern Ireland who will be part of this project, and our school is delighted to be participating. The study, to be conducted by Oxford Brookes University, will evaluate the impact of a service called Amira Learning; which provides personalised, research-based reading support to help every child grow as a reader. This project will run throughout this year, in P3, P5 and P7. Amira Learning is a digital tool for schools that helps children practise reading. It uses specialised technology (powered by AI) to listen as children read out loud and features an avatar (character) called Amira. It gives helpful feedback and shows teachers how their class is doing with aspects like reading speed, understanding, and how they tackle tricky words. Amira also helps teachers see how their reading is improving and what support they might need. We are very excited to have AMIRA & her dog, Spot, help us with our reading this year!