Schools |
Motivate your pupils to read with the Premier League
Turn football fans into reading fans by taking part in Premier League Reading Stars 2011/12. Thanks to funding from the Premier League and Arts Council England we are delighted to be able to offer 1,000 schools, libraries and football clubs the opportunity to take part in the project free of charge.
Find out more
|
New network for consultants and lead teachers
Our new Leaders Network offers vital support for literacy consultants, coordinators and lead teachers. Joining this community of literacy experts will help you to stay current in an ever-changing landscape, giving you all the information you need in a single accessible place. There is also the added opportunity to promote your services to schools in your area.
Read more about the Leaders Network
|
Need to improve writing standards in your school?
Talk activities that support writing have been highlighted as good practice by Ofsted, and the innovative Talk for Writing approach has been shown to rapidly accelerate pupil progress. You can learn new and exciting ways to develop creative writing at Key Stages 1 and 2 at our autumn conferences on "Transforming writing: Creating powerful story writers". Our conference in Bristol
on 1 December will be the first Talk for Writing conference we have offered in the South West so book early to avoid disappointment! Dates in Manchester and London are also available.
|
FREE Rugby World Cup resource for schools
Join the Schools Network now and get a FREE download of our Rugby World Cup Toolkit
, which will help you to engage your class with reading by tapping into the excitement around this September's tournament. The toolkit is packed full of rugby-based ideas, written by bestselling children's author Tom Palmer. This offer has been extended to the end of July so join the network now to qualify for your free copy.
|
Project improves teenagers' speaking and listening skills
Brighton Aldridge Community Academy has taken part in our speaking and listening project and seen great results, with 77% of students reporting improved skills and over half of them finding new confidence to make friends. Our Words for Work project has been working with secondary schools to improve pupils' communication skills and prepare them for the world of work. Find out more
about how Words for Work is helping students all over the country or order the resource pack to run the project in your school.
|
Early Years |
|
Earlier this month it was indicated that government proposals for the Early Years Foundation Stage may be published before parliament goes on summer recess. Dame Clare Tickell, author of the recent EYFS review, will give the keynote address at our annual Talk To Your Baby conference on 4 November, which will examine the latest thinking and practice in the sector. Book before the end of August and benefit from a 10% discount.
|
Research reveals commitment to language support but lack of resources
Our recent research with Nursery World reveals that early years practitioners are very aware of the importance of language development but many feel they don’t have the resources they need to support it, and in particular to engage with parents. To address this challenge, we have produced an interactive resource for practitioners to give to parents to provide ideas for daily activities and overcome common barriers such as time and lack of confidence.
Find out more about the resource.
A feature article on the research will be published in the next issue of Nursery World (12 July) and the full research report will be available on our website then.
|
Graham Allen report calls for more investment in early intervention
The second report published by Labour MP Graham Allen as part of his government-commissioned review, Early Intervention: Smart Investment, Massive Savings, calls on the Treasury to gradually rebalance government spending towards early intervention in the next comprehensive spending review. Read more
|
Local Areas & Services |
Enjoy free training and learn from others across the world
We are searching for 30 people who want to actively support literacy in their community to join our exciting initiative with the British Council. Participants will benefit from free training and a possible exchange opportunity in India. This training will be ideal for you if you are interested in supporting literacy in your community, for example by running a book cafe or reading buddy scheme. Read more
|
New volunteer project supports family literacy
This month we launched our new London Literacy Champions project, which supports young children’s development by recruiting community volunteers to work with families. Volunteers will encourage parents to make reading with their children part of their daily lives and help develop good communication skills. Do you know anyone in London who might like to volunteer? Find out more and register.
If you are interested in developing a strategy to support literacy in your area, email us to find out how we can help.
|
Wiltshire sees real results from new approach
By working with us on a new approach to literacy, Wiltshire Council is engaging midwives and social housing providers to help more families to support their children's literacy. This work has a huge potential reach as just two housing partners provide homes for over 10,000 of the most disadvantaged Wiltshire families.
You can find out more about Wiltshire's story on our website or at our conference "Breaking the Cycle: Aspirations, literacy and the home" this October, where local areas will explain how they are supporting communities with cost-effective approaches to improving literacy levels.
|
