Literacy charity Beanstalk launches ‘back to school' support for young readers

The charity's appeal for volunteers is to help deliver one-to-one reading support to local children in Swindon.

As the new academic year begins, local literacy charity Beanstalk is calling for members of the community in Swindon to sign up to its 2017-18 intake of trained volunteers that will help children in local primary schools become more confident readers.

Low levels of literacy continue to be a persistent problem both nationally and locally. According to the most recent SATS test results, over 700 primary school leavers in Swindon did not achieve the expected level in reading.

This can have a devastating impact on the lives of individuals and our communities, and is estimated to cost the UK economy £81 billion every year.

Area Manager for Beanstalk, Amelia Shaw, said: "The start of a new academic year is a critical time for us to ensure there is enough one-to-one reading support available for schools that have identified children that need extra help and encouragement with their reading.

"Without intervention, the outlook for children struggling with reading is concerning. It can lead to behavioural problems and can affect their future prospects in life and work.

"We need to recruit around 100 more reading helpers in South West England by the end of the academic year to ensure that we help more school children achieve the skills, confidence and imagination to reach their true potential."

Beanstalk needs more members of the local community that would like to volunteer as reading helpers in Swindon.

For more information or to apply, please visit the website at www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk or call Beanstalk on 0845 450 0307.