Children from deprived area of Devon to get a reading boost from Libraries Unlimited
Posted on 02 Sep 2024An area of East Devon which is amongst the 20% most deprived in England* with poor childhood reading outcomes** is to be targeted with a new project from Libraries Unlimited.
The charity, which runs the 54 libraries across Devon and Torbay, is on a mission to close the literacy gap by empowering parents and children and supporting teachers and practitioners with a special initiative, believed to be the first of its kind in England.
Staff at Exmouth Library and the School Literacy Network, with support from Action for Children and HeadsUp, will be working with children who live in the Littleham area with a focus on Littleham Church of England Primary School.
With funding from Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, Libraries Unlimited will be able to provide the school with a variety of specially designed sessions inspired by the charity’s unique reading challenge: The Secret Book Quest. Libraries Unlimited has met with school staff to ensure these sessions will be planned in tandem with them, identifying key curriculum areas and engagement methods. The sessions will be designed to encourage 5 to 12-year-olds to join the library and take part in the Quest.
A child’s earliest years are pivotal to their development and life chances. Research shows an undeniable link between literacy levels and social inequality, and that encouraging reading for pleasure in children can be life-changing.
Other initiatives being brought to the wider Littleham community by Libraries Unlimited include:
- A staff workshop at Littleham School featuring ideas for best practice and advice about enhancing reading for pleasure.
- Monthly Bounce & Rhyme sessions for toddlers and babies in the local leisure centre (supported by Books Trust). These will be linked into early years phonics ensuring young ones are ‘school ready’.
- Monthly after-school sessions offering crafts, coding and reading for children of all ages, including additional support from partners such as HeadsUp.
Both monthly sessions are being supported by Action for Children.
Of the 81 neighbourhoods in East Devon, Littleham is the only one in the 20% of most deprived areas in England. Libraries Unlimited data shows that only 7.6% of children in Littleham currently visit Exmouth Library (the average across Devon is 20%).
This contributes to the larger, more worrying national picture. Last year over 185,000 children in the UK started school without the language, communication and literacy skills they need to thrive. The heartbreaking reality is we are living in a ‘cost of literacy crisis’. Research published in February from Pro Bono Economics shows that the disadvantage gap in early literacy skills is costing over £800 million every year in England.
The project is also being supported by the School Literacy Network (SLN), an English support service for primary leaders run by highly experienced English specialists, which is part of Libraries Unlimited. Littleham School will receive free membership to the School Literacy Network, which will support teachers with access to high quality English continuing professional development (CPD), support and resources.
It’s hoped the programme of games, crafts and book-based sessions rolled out at Littleham will encourage children to visit the library and begin to develop a love of books and reading.
Sophie Crofts, Libraries Unlimited’s Reading Development Manager, said: “We are all so excited to work on this project which brings together so many different aspects of our charity, from educational support to community services, reading for pleasure to access to books. Littleham has a fantastic strong community and we’re so excited to bring the library to the community in what we believe is the first project of its type.”
Earlier this year Littleham School joined the Devon-based Link Academy Trust. Littleham’s Headteacher, Tom Paddon, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to work with the team at Libraries Unlimited. We are very keen to raise the numbers in Littleham accessing the local libraries and I am sure this project will have real impact with this. Libraries Unlimited are incredibly passionate about developing a love of reading and this aligns beautifully with our school values and current improvement priorities”.
The entire programme has been funded by Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, the Norman Family Trust and the Gibbons Family Trust.
Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival Chair Sue Briggs said: “We’re delighted to be working with Libraries Unlimited on their project with Littleham school and Exmouth Library. As a charity which celebrates the art of writing and the enjoyment of reading here in East Devon, we think it’s a wonderful way to encourage young readers.”
Sophie Crofts added: “Reading for pleasure is so fundamental to a child’s chance of success in life. A library is more than books; it’s a community centre, a social gathering, a chance to meet people, to talk, relax and just be, a place to study, to learn new skills and make new friends. We are very pleased to be able to bring all this to children in Littleham.”
The key aims of the project, alongside boosting literacy and a love of reading, include increasing the library users in the area, increase participation in the library’s reading challenges, training staff in delivering early years sessions and improving teacher confidence and skills in engaging pupils in reading for pleasure. The project begins at the start of term in September, with Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival offering funding for three years.