Children’s literacy charity Beanstalk needs local help to inspire young readers

Literacy support: Charity Beanstalk

With a staggering one in three children moving up to secondary school with a reading age of just eight years old, the charity Beanstalk is appealing to Hackney locals to help get our kids reading.

Providing one-to-one literacy support to children in Primary Schools, Beanstalk, which works in some of the most deprived parts of the country, aims to give every child a chance to succeed in life. Literacy is a skill that can open doors of employment and its importance should never be undervalued.

“Our vision is a nation of confident children who can read and grow up to lead successful lives,” said Rosie White of Beanstalk.

The charity is committed to supporting volunteers to work in primary schools with children who have fallen behind with their reading. They currently work with twelve schools in the Hackney area and are looking to expand throughout the borough.

Aiming to inspire a lifelong love of reading, Beanstalk was founded in 1973 as Volunteer Reading Help by Susan Belgrave MBE, Beanstalk’s President.

“It’s amazing to see how the children’s self-belief and ability grows from session to session,” says volunteer, Roisin McMurray. “Once a child’s confidence grows, it’s noticeable how reading changes from being something that they have to do into something that they look forward to doing.”

Reading volunteers work on a one-to-one basis for a half an hour session and use a variety of different approaches such as reading, games and activities.

“It’s a real joy to see the children’s comprehension of stories develop their understanding and enjoyment,” Roisin adds.

“Inspiring children to read is a critical element in our mission to give young Londoners the skills and opportunities to get a decent job. I urge any Londoner who has the time to volunteer and invest in young London now, in order to secure a brighter future for our city,” says Mathew Pattern, CEO of Mayor’s Fund for London.

If you are fluent in English, have lived in the UK for at least two years, and can dedicate three hours a week to a primary school local to you then perhaps you could help.

Beanstalk is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

To get in touch, call the London North East branch of Beanstalk on 0207 250 8275 or visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk to find out more.