Transcript Slide 1

Family awareness, access and
action:
the Partners in Literacy
approach
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Why do we care about literacy?
• Access to employment and
promotion
• Ability to fulfil potential at
school
• Access to training and ability to
develop skills
• Confidence
• Helping to break cycles of
social exclusion (offending,
poverty, aspiration)
• Supporting community
participation and cohesion
• Choice, fairness, access –
social mobility
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95% of all employment in the UK
requires employees to be able to
read
41% of employers are concerned
about their employees’ basic
literacy skills
76% of C2DE parents see no link
between literacy skills and
success in life
50% of all offenders leaving prison
are unable to read
Men and women with the poorest
literacy or numeracy skills were
the least likely to have voted in the
1987 and 1997 general election.
Community participation is higher
among men and women with
higher literacy skills
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Partners in Literacy (PiL) will contribute to
key PSA targets including:
• Improve productivity, skills and economic performance
(PSAs 1, 2 and 7)
• Maximise employment opportunities for all (PSA 8)
• Halve child poverty (PSA 9)
• Raise educational attainment, narrowing the gap in
attainment (PSAs 10 & 11)
• Improve health and wellbeing (PSA 12)
• Build more cohesive, empowered and active
communities (PSA 21)
1 in 6 people in the UK struggle with basic literacy
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Evidence from Rochdale MBC
Since 2005:
• The most improved
primary schools nationally
• A 50% increase in uptake
of adult basic skills
courses
• Most improved KS2
results nationally from
2004-2007
• Helped to end child
poverty by breaking the
cycle of worklessness in
households suffering from
inter-generational
unemployment
“I used to nag,
nag, nag but now
I know how to help
my child.”
www.literacytrust.org.uk
An evidence based approach to raising
literacy rates:
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Families: parental behaviour is a more powerful force for academic
success than other family background variables.
[For example, Flouri and Buchanan, 2004 & Bus, Van Ijzendoorn and Pellegrini,
1995]
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Early years: the earlier parents become involved in their children’s literacy
practices, the more profound the results and the longer-lasting the effects.
[Weinberger, 1996 & Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford and Taggart, 2004]
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The home: parents have a greater influence on the achievement of young
people than school; supporting learning in the home strengthens what can
be achieved in school.
[Auerbach, 1989 & Desforges and Abouchaar, 2003]
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Disadvantage: low literacy associated with poverty, low educational levels,
overcrowded housing, low income levels.
[Literacy Changes Lives, National Literacy Trust 2008]
www.literacytrust.org.uk
2009-2011: testing the PiL approach
Community-wide awareness & support
Awareness: parents & carers are aware of their role
in supporting child’s literacy
Access: families access
local services that
support literacy in the
home
Action: parents & carers
support literacy within
the home
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Individual outcomes:
Increased literacy skills and
confidence
Raised educational outcomes
Employment, further education,
training
Volunteering, community
participation
Family outcomes:
Increased parental confidence
Literacy activity in home
Expectations of achievement
Parental involvement in
education
Community outcomes:
Improved educational attainment
Improved employability/employment
Positive health outcomes
Community engagement/participation
www.literacytrust.org.uk
How might this look for a priority
family locally?
Children’s Centre Staff and
GP
Up-skilled and supported to:
- Identify literacy need in
families
- Be able to discuss this with
parents and offer practical
advice
- Know where to signpost for
more support
- Track impact
- See literacy outcomes as
core to own targets and work
practices
Teenage parents
- Become aware of role as
primary educator
- Supported to feel confident
to try out practical activities
at home
- Know where to go for more
support, for courses and
for events/activities
- Start to support literacy in
the home
- Become role models for
children and other parents
- Feedback informs future
service delivery
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Achievements to date
• Authority-wide data used to identify priority
disadvantaged families
• Partnerships established across community to “reach”
families e.g. Social Care, Housing, VCS
• Opportunities identified to:
– Embed support and training for partners
– Bring together all services which support literacy to embed
mutual signposting and cross-referrals
• Planning intensive work to test this approach with priority
families
• 4 pilot authorities and 17 partners (receiving no funding)
• Effective and unique partnership between central
government, local government, communities and
researchers, led by VCS to deliver evidence-based and
targeted provision
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Success for families
• Awareness: more disadvantaged families are aware of their role via
professionals
– Tracking professional awareness AND practice (reach to families
and support of literacy)
– Capturing awareness among parents and carers via case
studies
• Access: more disadvantaged families are accessing services
– Mapping services which support families with literacy in the
home
– Base-lining uptake to track impact
– Case studies of families supported
• Action: more disadvantaged families are engaged and involved in
supporting literacy in the home
– Case studies
www.literacytrust.org.uk
Success for communities
• Promoting and supporting integrated
planning and service delivery - literacy
across community-wide partners (council
directorates, VCS, Local Strategic Partnership
partners, Children’s Trust partners)
• Local leadership - strong and active senior
management support
• Targeted local provision
• Sustainable and embedded approach –
literacy embedded in local planning and
practice
• Efficiency savings and service improvements
www.literacytrust.org.uk