Are there any trained reading volunteers out there?

[RefuseToWorry]

I know schools are hyper-vigilant about DBS checks before volunteers are allowed into classrooms to hear children read, but I'm interested to find out if any reading volunteers are given specific training before they start?

If you have received training, what was included and how much time was given to equip you with strategies to help the children you work with?

My concern with increased training of volunteers is that it pushes the teaching of reading to the volunteer sector. Too much of this will result in more educational inequality.

The areas where people can afford the time to volunteer (and not work full time) will have the advantage, unless people will be prepared to help out in schools outside their own area.

As it is we have a free state education in this country, which is supposed to provide our children with teachers (properly trained, paid and accountable) to teach reading. Merely providing parents with training, to teach their own children, does not quite meet this mark.

^which is exactly the same areas which have the advantage now. Parents that can afford the time to volunteer, probably already are able to spend time studying how children learn to read and reading with their own children.

It is the children, with parents who cannot afford this time, who actually need the extra practice.

I completely agree with you Capsium. Areas where there are lots of parents with literacy difficulties tend not be over run with middle class pushy parents.

In many ways the problem is a lack of vocabulary rather than language. Most children can be taught to bark at print extremely easily, understanding that print is a much tougher challenge. A big difficulty is how you improve the language skills of children form challenging backgrounds. (ie speaking and listening skills) Children with educated parents often are bathed in rich language and literacy. Everyday is a literacy lesson without anyone (including non pushy parents) realising it. It is impossible for a volunteer to replicate that type of home by spending ten minutes with the child.

The gap between fsm children and children from wealthy backgrounds is huge when children start reception. Surestart was an attempt to address this issue, but it is not clear how sucessful it was. Now the govement is trying to put two year olds in nursery instead.

"The areas where people can afford the time to volunteer (and not work full time) will have the advantage, unless people will be prepared to help out in schools outside their own area."

Schools could advertise for suitable volunteers through

www.do-it.org.uk/

However I suspect that most schools find it more hassle than its worth.

Often the "rough schools" are within a mile of a more middle class area.

However, I would also be careful not to stereotype children who are in receipt of FSM, as culturally impoverished, as well as monetarily.

There are some very hard working parents on low incomes whose children are in receipt of FSM. Because they are low paid and have to work long hours to make ends meet, it they have less time to spend focusing on supporting their own children.

Added to this the working classes have a very rich cultural history in this and other countries. The arts have benefited from much music, art, poetry and folk tales rooted in working class culture. Historically movements like the Trade Union Movement are inspiring to future generations.

I think part of the problem is respect for people of different backgrounds. All too easily children from poor backgrounds or who have additional needs are effectively 'written off' by educational professionals, even when funding is in place.

This recent thread, link below, to me highlights the unwillingness/lack of capability of a school to make provision for a child with additional needs, even when funding is in place.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2230696-To-be-annoyed-with-the-school-again?

Shifting responsibility to the volunteer sector is just one way schools can relieve themselves of the 'problem', sadly.

"There are some very hard working parents on low incomes whose children are in receipt of FSM. Because they are low paid and have to work long hours to make ends meet, it they have less time to spend focusing on supporting their own children."

Working families on low income tend to get working child tax credit and are not entitled to free school meals. Generally those on free school meals are on benefits or retired rather than working.

There are always families who defy the statistics, however many fsm children start off from a lower position.

esmeefairbairn.org.uk/news-and-learning/news-and-events/new-1m-fund-to-test-how-parental-engagement-can-help-children-achieve-more

"When starting school, children from the poorest backgrounds are 19 months behind their most affluent peers of the same age in development of vocabulary. Studies have shown this attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and all other pupils persists through school. At age eleven the gap between Free School Meals pupils and their peers stood at 19% in reading, writing and mathematics in 2013."

As far as I understand it, a person can be working and still be in receipt of benefits (Universal Credit for example) that would allow their children to receive FSM.

www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

many fsm children start off from a lower position.

The question is, why? Many of these children will have spent a large amount of time in nurseries, with free places. Perhaps the provision for them is lacking?

Perhaps the answer is for schools to actively teach the whole of the National Curriculum, to everyone, as educational professionals are trained and paid to do so? Instead of relying upon parents and volunteers to fill in the gaps?

I'm proud to have given up an hour a week for years to read with a child in my/their lunch hour.

And worthwhile, for those children you listened to read, I'm sure it will have been.

However I would prefer the work of a volunteer to actually increase the breadth of provision. It should not simply be there to reduce a school's workload. This would result in no increase or potentially could result in loss of expertise provision, as teachers opt out of listening to children read 1 to 1, themselves.

I agree Madrigals, for the individual DC.

Not sure how exactly to solve the problem when volunteers are providing 'core' provision though, apart from talking about it.

Schools would certainly have to step up without these volunteers, otherwise they would fail completely.

Failure is a big price to pay for the children involved though...this is why people still volunteer and teachers continue to neglect hearing children read 1 to 1. This is why children keep on taking home reading books which are totally unsuitable and schools are shocked when children fail the phonic screening.....

Julia

capsium, do you have experience of any schools where volunteers are the core providers of the teaching of reading?

My concern with increased training of volunteers is that it pushes the teaching of reading to the volunteer sector. Too much of this will result in more educational inequality.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not for a moment suggesting trained volunteers replace trained teachers! I just think it makes sense for volunteers (and parents) to be shown how to complement the school's methods of teaching reading.

PS Thank-you, NotOneThingbutAnother, for mentioning the Beanstalk reading charity.

RefuseToWorry I have experienced my DC not reading to any adult in school 1 to 1 from one month to the next, one year during KS1.

My DC did not appear read to the class teacher 1 to 1 at all during that year, unless this was not recorded in the Reading Record. That year the Class Teacher was unable to answer questions regarding my child's progress, during a scheduled meeting. These were questions which were raised, on one of the occasions a TA did do one to one reading with my child. The Class Teacher also took my DC occasionally for Group Reading.

So, I can only conclude, the Class Teacher was not in close communication with the TA, in this respect either. I believe I knew more about my child's reading progress, at least that year, than any of the educational professionals, as I was the one reading and discussing texts with my child almost everyday. My child had a Statement of Special Educational needs that time with funding for full time one to one support, so this was not a matter of a shortage of resources.

I did not push for my child to read more at school at the time, as my child was more comfortable reading with myself. This is going from some of the negative comments in the Reading Record, which offered no strategies to solve any problems which had arisen. It was especially heartbreaking since, before starting school, reading was something my child used to love. My child began learning to read at 2yrs and was fluent at 4yrs. I was grateful though, to some of the volunteers, as they did respond positively to my child, and gave positive feedback and encouragement in the record.

Thankfully now my DC has progressed to such an extent the Statement is no longer required and his new Class Teachers seem to have taken more of an interest, instead of leaving TA or volunteers to take charge of the majority of his day to day education.

I am not for a moment suggesting trained volunteers replace trained teachers! I just think it makes sense for volunteers (and parents) to be shown how to complement the school's methods of teaching reading.

I appreciate you are not suggesting volunteers replace trained teachers, but by training volunteers in the teaching of reading methodology, effectively that is what could be the result.

I am not alone in this respect, if MN is anything to go by.

There have been threads where parents are deeply concerned about their child's reading difficulties which have had no support from the school, others where they are told their child has to read each unsuitable scheme book at home twice, before the book can be changed and others where teachers or any other staff do not acknowledge any comments made by the parents in the reading records.

capsium, I was sorry to read about your previous experience and sadly acknowledge these issues are widespread.

When I had my own class, I found it an ongoing, uphill struggle to fight against the many other demands on my time and make space for hearing individual readers. Although I always felt as if the time I was able to give to each child in my class was never enough, I believed it was still worth fighting for.

I appreciate your candidness, RefuseToWorry.

Hopefully, if you can also impress upon teachers the crucial importance of regular 1 to 1 reading with a teacher, as a tool for teachers to assess and extend learning, alongside training volunteers, then your training programmes will make a real difference to children.