How parental input improves literacy

Project
Young Readers

Funding
To boost early literacy by mobilising an army of volunteers

Purpose
£250,000 – part of a £2m Reuben Foundation grant for volunteering initiative Team London

Background
One in five children in London has difficulty reading. Organisers of Team London – the Mayor of London’s volunteering programme – decided one of its strands should focus on children’s literacy. “When we were thinking about priorities for Team London we were looking for areas where volunteers would make most impact,” says Munira Mirza, deputy mayor of London for education and culture. “We knew there was huge interest in the education of young children.”

Action
Team London worked with the National Literacy Trust to develop the Young Readers scheme, designed to work with parents and carers to boost understanding of the importance of early literacy and show them how they could support this at home. The trust recruited an army of 460 volunteers through early years settings in some of the most deprived boroughs in London including Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Haringey, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.

These trained volunteers, from a range of backgrounds, delivered one-to-one sessions with families of children aged three to five at home and in community settings as part of the eight-week programme. Involving parents and whole families has a greater impact, says Mirza. “By working with parents and helping them understand the value of language, writing and reading to their children, you’re encouraging them to continue to do it,” she says. “We had a lot of great feedback from parents saying how it helped them read more often with their children and use their library more.”

Outcome
More than 1,000 children and 1,600 adults received literacy support at home or locally according to the Team London annual review for 2011/12, published by the Greater London Authority. Seventy-two per cent of parents reported an increase in how much their children enjoyed books and 53 per cent reported an increase in the number of times a week they shared books with their child. Meanwhile, volunteers gained new skills and confidence. Ninety-six per cent reported an increase in their knowledge of practical ways to support children’s literacy development.

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