Low literacy among Teesside adults is a cause for concern

Nearly a fifth of North East adults are struggling to read as well as schoolchildren.

The Middlesbrough's National literacy hub reveal 17% of over 16 year olds have a reading age of under 11.

The hub is now reaching out to the almost 283 500 adults in the region who can’t read as well as some children.

Allison Potter is from the Middlesbrough Hub; she tells us some of the struggles she’s seen;

*“That has a massive impact on everyday life, they’re not able to read food labels accurately,

“Possibly struggle taking prescriptions accurately.” *

Allison tells us why she thinks this low level of literacy across the region might be;

*“Is it the perception, in the area, almost ‘what’s the point because the jobs potentially, aren’t there?’

“But I think it is changing in Middlesbrough, it is on the up.”*

Now the National Literacy Trust, working through the Middlesbrough hub, are encouraging parents to learn alongside their kids to lessen the stigma.