Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Rotherham

One of our Reading Mentors just sent me this one-line email:

"I am sure you will have better things to do on a Saturday morning, but there is a programme at 10.30 on Radio 4 about what Dolly Parton has done for reading in Rotherham!!!" 

She couldn't be more wrong, I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday morning! I immediately looke for for some more info: BBC Radio 4 - How Dolly Got Rotherham Reading.

Thanks Anne.

Interplay Leeds Volunteer Reading Mentors Meeting 2

I said in my last post about our recent Volunteer Reading Mentors Meeting at Interplay in Leeds, I would share my short presentation. So here it is:

Reading Matters Presentation - Interplay 10-12-09

My overall message was that, despite so many changes, in schools, government and at Reading Matters, the need for us to keep on improving reading skills and changing lives is as great as ever.

In fact, the week after our meeting there was a flurry of news stories about how thousands of boys start secondary school 'barely able to read', the BBC report highlighted some of Reading Matters core areas of work. For example, in Rotherham 14% of 11-year-old boys in state schools did not reach level three in their reading tests this summer, this means they were at the level expected of a seven-year-old.

It is true that 'raw data' from the controversial SATS reading tests will not provide the full story, but headlines like these indicate there are still huge numbers of children and young people in primary and secondary schools that do not have special educational needs but still need extensive support for them to reach their full potential in life.

The next part of my presentation shows that through Reading Matters Reading Mentors, Reading Leaders and other programmes, we do reach these young people with simple, targeted and effective support. In fact in the the 2009-10 academic year we supported 3768 children and young people.

The last 12 months we have won a number of awards and accolades that back this up, including the Yorkshire Forward Creating Better Future Awards 2010 and Business Link Social Enterprise Awards 2009. But even more important to me is the feedback form the schools we work in:

“The Reading Matters scheme not only improves the reading ability of all students involved, it also creates a fantastic reading culture, promoting responsibility and maturity”. Sheffield School Co-ordinator at
Firth Park Community College.

Like all everyone to continue to meet our objectives, Reading Matters is finding new and innovative ways of working and new partners such as the Summer Reading Challenge, Special Schools and Foster Carers. Having said that, we will be drawing the line at canine support.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Summer Festivals in Sheffield and Rotherham

Reading Matters are not formally involved in these festivals, but I am sure we will be represented at some of the many excellent events taking place in Sheffield and Rotherham in the next few months.

Sheffield Children's Festival 2009
13 June to 4 July
Some things that caught my eye were the Poetry Wall at Banks Street Arts, a performance of the BFG and associated fun day at the Lyceum, and the many theatre performances by pupils from Sheffield schools.

Showcomotion
Sheffield Young People's Film Festival
25 June to 9 July
I particularly like the look of the Dreams 2012 programme on 27 June at the Showroom Cinema.

Rotherham Children's Book Festival 2009
27 June to 4 July
I don't know where to start with this lot, so many good things; Family Fun Days across Rotherham on 27 June, Story Teller Ben Haggarty at Wickersly Library on 29 June 7.30pm-9.30pm, Shonaleigh at the Central Library on 2 July 6pm-7pm, and finish up with a Storywalk in Clifton Park on 4 July 2pm-3pm.

I can't wait.

Inspire Rotherham Activity

It has been quite a couple of weeks, there has been an awful lot of activity relating to the new Inspire Rotherham Project. We have followed up the training and visit to Maltby Manor school with the Rotherham United players with visits to Maltby Crags and Maltby Redwood schools, there are slideshows below.

In the middle of these visits the Inspire Rotherham project was officially launched, see some pictures online. Reading Matters had stall in All Saints Square on 21st March. It was good to be involved, we weren't selling much, just telling people about Reading Matters and sharing the word sheets we had prepared for the partnership with RUFC. It was also the first time our new range of Read Up trading cards got a public outing, all the RUFC players we trained have a card with a mixture of football and reading skills and a few facts. They were hugely popular, and we gave out pretty much our entire stock.

As well as all this we have been running a number of partnerships as part of the Inspire Rotherham pilot in Maltby:

• A Reading Leaders course with pupils from Maltby Community School
• A Reading Together workshop for parents at Maltby Community School
• Training for practioners, such as Teaching Assistants, from the Maltby area
  
• New volunteer reading mentors have begun at Hilltop Special School
• A Parents workshop in partnership with GROW

RUFC at Maltby Crags Infant School

RUFC at Matby Readwood School

Sustainable Communities Act

Sheffield County Council are inviting proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act.

"This allows councils, after taking advice from local people, to put forward proposals for government action that will help local communities to be more sustainable and offer better quality of life."

You might consider a reading based proposal, what about some reading focused schools in Sheffield, as Michael Rosen has been promoting recently. Reading Matters would love to be involved in a project along these lines.

I cannot see a similar scheme in Rotherham, but a Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel is in place who you could contact.