The national volunteering charity TimeBank has joined forces with the National Literary Association, Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) and the Who Cares Trust to launch ‘Time for Children’ in the North West of England, a volunteer initiative striving to impact on such negative statistics by focusing on improving literacy in primary level education.
‘Time for Children’ aims to recruit volunteer readers to go into schools to work specifically with children in public care.
This week, however, close to 2,000 artists will go into schools across the UK to inspire more than 40,000 children and introduce them to the world of art as part of Big Arts Week (June 30 to July 4).
A 2002 Department of Health report1 found that in the appropriate age group:
- 50% of children in care had obtained Key Stage 1, level 2 compared to 85% of all children.
- 40% of children in care had obtained Key Stage 2, level 4 compared to 78% of all children.
- 22% of children in care had obtained Key Stage 3, level 5 compared to 66% of all children.
And at GCSE stage:
- Only 53% of children in care obtained at least one GCSE or GNVQ compared with 95% of all children.
- Only 8% of children in care obtained at least 5 GCSE's at grades A*- C compared with 50% of all children.
These statistics underline the crucial need for more volunteers to work with children in care, giving them one-to-one support to increase their confidence and self-esteem, unlocking their imaginations and giving them new motivation to learn.
Volunteers require no specific qualifications, just patience, understanding, and a commitment of at least two hours a week during term time to provide individual help for children who find reading difficult and may lack self-esteem. In turn, volunteers will receive full training.
Heather Brandon, Chief Executive, VRH, commented, "We have been working in partnership with LEAs and schools for nearly 30 years, recruiting and training volunteers from the local community to work with primary school children who find reading a challenge. Now we are delighted to be involved in the 'Time for Children' scheme, which we hope will extend our good work to help children in care become confident and literate for life."
For further information on how to become a volunteer reader log on to www.timebank.org.uk/tfc or call 0845 456 1668.
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Key Literacy Statistics:
- Between a ¼ and a 1/3 of rough sleepers have been looked after by local authorities as children.
- Children who have been in care are two and half times more likely to become a teenage parent
- Young people who have been in care are disproportionately more likely to become unemployed.
- Young people who have been in care are disproportionately likely to end up in prison. 26% of prisoners have been in care as children, compared with just 2% of the general population.
- Volunteer Reading Help launched in 1973, providing support to 21 children. In 2002, VRH help more than 8,400 children every week to improve their literacy skills giving a total of 436,800 volunteer hours in a year.
- According to an international adult survey 8 million people in the UK are so poor at reading and writing that they cannot cope with the demands of modern day life.
- One in seven school leavers lack literacy skills demanded in the work place (National Foundation for Educational Research)
If you require further information, please contact Patrick McCaren or Helen Thompson at TimeBank on 020 7401 5428/5328 or email p.mccaren@timebank.org.uk / h.thompson@timebank.org.uk
Notes to editors:- Statistics sourced from Department of Health report 'Outcome Indicators for looked-after children' 12 months to 30 September 2002 and Preventing Social Exclusion 2001.
- Volunteer Reading Help is a national charity, which recruits, trains and supports volunteers from the local community to help children in primary schools.
- TimeBank is a high profile media campaign raising awareness of the value of giving time by inspiring a new generation of volunteers.
- Table statistics have been sourced from The Basic Skills Agency, The National Office for Statistics, and Ernst & Young.
- VRH can be contacted at their North West regional office on 0151 201 6771 or email vrh.northwest@clara.co.uk