FAQs

What is Reading Matters?

Reading Matters is based in Bradford West Yorkshire and is a registered charity and not for profit social enterprise. We specialise in offering a range of training courses that develop one-to-one reading mentor skills for employees who wish to work in the community, students, parents, learning support staff and Governors. We also recruit, train, place and support a network of reading mentor volunteers to work in secondary schools.

What training courses are available?

Reading Matters offers a range of accredited literacy support training programmes that can be tailored to suit your requirements:

• Reading Leader peer mentoring programme targeted at Key Stage 4 and 5 students to enable them to work with younger pupil partners in school.
• Care 2 Read – An accredited literacy and numeracy training programme to support literacy in the home.
• Reading Together – An introductory, informal workshop to encourage literacy in the home.
• Volunteer Mentor Training – an accredited training programme to enable volunteer mentors to work one-to-one in school to improve their reading skills and confidence.
• Corporate Volunteer Mentor Training – a bespoke training programme to enable volunteers to provide effective one-to-one literacy mentoring in school.
• Reading Support Practitioner Training – An accredited course for teaching and non teaching school staff, and Governors to increase awareness of literacy issues and ensure effectiveness of those working one-to-one or in small groups. This training is suitable for INSET training and supports CPD targets.

How can Reading Matters help you?

Reading Matters is able to provide training programmes to meet the needs of schools, parents and the wider community.

• In School: Our training programmes and reading mentor volunteers have been proven to raise reading skills and confidence and help improve attainment across the curriculum. The young people who benefit most are those who lack confidence and whose reading levels prevent them from learning effectively. Reading Leaders can use the qualification to augment their UCAS personal statements and can use the volunteering experience toward their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Additional benefits include improved behaviour, attendance, well being and a reduction in bullying.
• In the Family: Care 2 Read and Reading Together provide parents and carers with the skills and confidence needed to nurture and develop literacy in the home. This also helps to strengthen home/school partnerships.
• In the Community: Recruiting reading mentor volunteers from the community Reading Matters trains, places and supports individuals in school. Reading Mentors work with struggling and reluctant readers and its proven effectiveness results in an improvement in reading age and reading comprehension. Reading Matters also works with individual companies to train employees who wish to volunteer in the community. These training courses can be developed to meet specific company requirements offering a truly bespoke service and helping companies meet their CSR objectives.

How effective is the Reading Matters Intervention?

An independent evaluation report by Leeds Metropolitan University indicates that pupils experience an average gain in reading age of 15 months, in terms of word recognition and of 10 months with regard to reading comprehension after just 10 weeks with a Reading Matters volunteer. Pupils also improve significantly in terms of reading performance, attitude to reading, confidence in the classroom, self esteem, motivation and speech and language.

Who are the Reading Mentor Volunteers?

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and from many different backgrounds. They form our Volunteer Reading Mentors network which covers more than 100 secondary schools across 10 local authorities supporting young people aged 11-16 who are struggling with their reading skills and confidence.

We recruit and train our volunteers who are then placed in schools to work as Reading Mentors on a one-to-one basis. We offer ongoing support and advice and top up training. We also provide exciting and flexible corporate volunteering opportunities.

All volunteers are interviewed, undergo an accredited training course and receive an enhanced CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) check before being placed in school.

How to donate?

• By cheque made payable to Reading Matters and sent to Reading Matters, PO Box 500, Western Way, Halifax Road, Bradford BD6 2LZ.
• Or contact us at info@readingmatters.org.uk or by phone on 01274 692219.

Further Information

Whether you have a particular training need, are interested in becoming a volunteer or would like to discuss implementing a volunteer or literacy improvement scheme in your school then please contact us at info@readingmatters.org.uk f or an informal discussion.