'School readers' needed to help Dorset primary children
Over 1000 children in the county are unable to reach the governments expected standard of reading at 11 years old
Schoolsreaders in Dorset are looking for volunteers to help Primary school children learn how to read.
The charity place volunteers in local primary schools to listen to children read on a one-to-one base to increase their literacy levels.
Currently 1 in 4 children (174,000) across England are unable to reach the Government's expected standard of reading at the age of 11, of which 28% of those children come from Dorset (1,090).
The negative effect of Covid and the lockdown has affected the literacy levels in the Schoolreaders primary schools badly.
Jane Whitbread Founder of the charity says:
"Reading is an essential, it's the corner stone to access learning you need to read in order to learn and so there is a loss of well it varies between 3 and 7 months at the early 5 to 6 year so it's essential that we catch these children up so they they're learning is not affected longer term.
"Anyone can become a Schoolreaders volunteer they will be given guidance and training, dependent on the age they are given it could be 4 to 5 year olds to 11 year old.
"The school provide that training and we have supplementary training as well, they have to be prepared to commit to a minimum of a year.
"We have a great need for more volunteers, we have seen a huge surge since this school year started, there seem to be a new wave of public wanting to help their community, despite that we still need more, Dorset especially for Bournemouth and Weymouth."
Schoolreaders help many primary schools across the whole of Dorset, and particularly in Bournemouth, who desperately need the volunteer support.
Many schools struggle to find the resources to help children who may be falling behind the rest of the class with their reading levels. Parents also find it hard to spare the time to read with their children.
Schoolreaders is the only national literacy charity which recruits, matches and supports reading volunteers to help primary school children at no cost to the school.
Volunteers are recruited from the local community and matched up with the primary school which is local to them.
No experience is needed, just a good command of the English language and a spare hour or two a week in term time.
Adults who want to volunteer need to complete an online application here, alternatively call the Schoolreaders team on 01234 924111.