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Working
with a child on a one-to-one basis for 12 weeks can improve their
reading age by six months.
Volunteers
who work with Learning Partnerships on our literacy programme
Let's Learn come from the community and local businesses. They
help support children with their reading and literacy development
in schools, after-school clubs and community centres through the
charity's literacy scheme. More
details on Let's Learn
Volunteer
school readers
Volunteers
work with three or four children during the reading sessions,
spending an average of 15/20 minutues with each child. This individual
attention helps to develop the children's speaking and listening
skills as well as their self-esteem and confidence. These sessions
are invaluable as unfortunately, for some children, this is the
only positive one-to-one time they get to spend with an adult.
After-school
and community centre volunteers
Volunteers
work alongside children at the Let's Learn literacy clubs which
are held after-school and in local community centres. Let's Learn
is a literacy project which was set up to help raise reading and
writing levels among seven to 12-year-olds.
The
school clubs are run by a teacher or member of school support
staff with the community clubs led by a designated co-ordinator.
They usually last for an hour and a half.
As
well as individual reading sessions, the children participate
in literacy activities including poetry, creative writing, crafts
and word puzzles. They also enjoy playing board games such as
Lingo Bingo, Slug in a Jug and Python Path, whcih focus on literacy
development and social skills.
Training
All
volunteers participate in an initial training session (four hours
for school readers and six hours for club volunteers) and undergo
a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) Disclose check. Volunteers must
have received their clearance before beginning in schools or literacy
clubs.
The
training sessions include practical information on how to support
a child's reading, literacy in schools today, child protection
and the value of volunteering.
An
Open College accreditation award is available (at both levels
1 and 2) for volunteers who have been working on the literacy
programme for a school term or more. The certifciate gives recognition
of the skills and knowledge that have been gained while volunteering.
Case
Studies
Jo
Gough, ITV Yorkshire
Katie Dickinson, Addleshaw
Goddard
Roberto
Colagiovanni, Xansa
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