National reading initiative launched in Wolverhampton
Released: 27 September 2007
A national initiative which helps to improve pupils’ reading skills is being launched in Wolverhampton after the city council successfully bid for more than £100,000 to introduce the scheme.
A total of 11 schools will initially benefit from the Every Child A Reader (ECAR) initiative which supports children aged between five and seven who need extra help with reading to ensure they do not fall behind.
The initiative is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (previously DfES), business and charities, which have awarded the council £120,000 to launch ECAR after the authority demonstrated a strong commitment to raising standards.
The scheme enables schools to identify teachers to be trained in providing specialist ECAR tuition. On completion of the training these specialist literacy teachers are then available to give intensive one-to-one support to those children most in need.
In Wolverhampton a reading centre has also been set up at Fallings Park Primary as a training and resource centre for the specialist teachers.
The schools involved are:
• Berrybrook Primary
• Eastfield Primary
• Fallings Park Primary
• Field View Primary
• St Andrew’s CE Primary
• St Bartholomew’s CE Primary
• Trinity CE Primary
• Whitgreave Infant
• Wodensfield Primary
• Woodfield Infant
• Woodthorne Primary
The project will hopefully be extended to more schools as it develops.
Councillor Christine Irvine, Wolverhampton City Council Cabinet Member for Schools, said: “I’m delighted that this scheme is being introduced in Wolverhampton to complement existing schemes aimed at improving literacy.
“Research has shown it to be a very successful and effective initiative which demonstrates that, with the right support, almost all children can reach standards of literacy appropriate to their age, by the end of their first two years at school.
“Securing the funds to launch the scheme is a credit to our officers who put the bid together and is another example of our commitment to raising standards.”
Research carried out in other areas participating in the initiative has shown that children who benefited from the extra lessons made an average gain of 21 months in reading age in four to five months of teaching.
All schools in Wolverhampton were invited to express an interest in becoming involved in the scheme which will be monitored and evaluated to assess its impact on pupil progress. This will be supported by the Institute of Education, University of London.
ECAR is a three-year initiative working with 200 schools and 27 local authorities nationally through the Primary National Strategy which provides tailored consultant support and professional development opportunities for schools. The Government is committed to expanding the programme.
For further information see the every child a reader website.
Issued by the press office.