This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council on behalf of ABC read for the attention of all schools.
About ABC to read
ABC to read trains and supports volunteers in primary schools across Berkshire, helping hundreds of children each week to enjoy reading and gain an essential skill for life. The charity has maintained around 160 volunteers working in 100 Berkshire schools with 500 children each week to improve their reading skills. The children are chosen by the schools as those in most need of reading support. The volunteers are selected by the charity and are DBS checked, trained and supported. ABC to read are currently campaigning to increase awareness of their work in order to reach more Berkshire children. More information can be found atrwww.abctoread.org.uk
With so much disruption caused to children’s schooling during the Coronavirus pandemic, the stability, focus, confidence and skills built through reading have unsurprisingly suffered for many local youngsters. Berkshire reading charity ABC to read has pioneered a recovery, adapting their life-changing one-to-one mentoring support of primary school children who have been identified by their schools as struggling most with their reading.
Pre-Covid, ABC torRead provided trained volunteer mentors to work with children one-to-one, making reading fun again and achieving fantastic results both in and out of the classroom, with reading and broader self-confidence and behaviour seeing remarkable improvement. ABC to read often work with children experiencing additional barriers to reading and/or disadvantages such as those from EAL or low-income families or with additional educational needs. These children need support more than ever.
In the current climate, the charity now provides training both for primary and secondary schools and for families, supporting over 500 children every week. ABC to read need to recruit many more volunteers so that more children can receive the indepth, quality and comprehensive support that the charity provide.. All sessions are one-to-one, customised and tailored to each child’s levels and interests.
ABC to read is an awarding winning charity and their work is unique in Berkshire schools – it is not just about reading with children that many other organisations and individuals are able to offer but ABC to read are helping children who struggle with literacy and confidence. 98% of children supported last year reached the required reading levels whilst 100% of children improved their reading skills.
Marcia Rowlinson, ABC to read CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be able to support so many children with our reading sessions, continuing our commitment to schools and the children we support, thanks to our great team of volunteers and small but excellent staff team. We know that one-to-one, face-to-face teaching is the best method to support children, particularly if they have barriers to their learning, and we are delighted to be able to reach more local children by providing training into secondary schools so that older students, parent helpers are able to help us raise literacy attainment and school cohesion. To help us with our drive in supporting more children we do need more volunteers to join our wonderful team”
There are still spaces available for any new volunteers to take part in training. Is you school eligible for the support from ABC to read? For schools to sign up to the scheme or to enquire about volunteering info@abctoread.org.uk 01189 511336. The charity provides the schools with a vetted, trained including safeguarding training and resources to engage the children so busy schools do not have to do any of the admin.