Change of Reading Matters Trustees
New Chair: We are delighted to announce that Ian Enters, a long standing trustee of Reading Matters has taken over as Chair replacing Joan Jacobs. Joan has retired from the board after giving years of...
View ArticleIdeas for the Catch-Up Premium
Ideas for implementing the catch-up premium “The consequences for a pupil being left behind in the basics when they start secondary school can last for the rest of their education,” Nick Clegg, the...
View ArticleEducational Aspirations – Working with Parents and Carers
Educational aspirations: How English schools can work with parents to keep them on track New research from Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that the real challenge for disadvantaged young people is...
View ArticlePupil Premium
Education Minister David Laws has given a speech on the pupil premium at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) conference. Key points from the speech include: There will be an increasing...
View ArticleUK – One of the worst rich nations in terms of well-being of children and...
UNICEF has rated the UK as one of the worst rich nations when it comes to the well-being of children and young people. A study published by UNICEF placed the UK in 16th position in its league table of...
View ArticleCreating compelling learning experiences with the new National Curriculum
I read, with interest, this article written by Lynn Maidment in the 8 May 2013 Learning & Teaching Update from Optimus Education, reproduced in full here: Creating compelling learning experiences...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pleased to meet you: Christina Gabbitas – Author of the Felicity Fly Series
I just wanted to share with you a lovely book I came across – Felicity Fly – and the author of course Christina Gabbitas, visit her website poemsandpictures here. Christina launched her initiative ‘An...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Future Film Stars?
Following the recent success of our short film about the work we carry out at Reading Matters, produced with help of a grant from Children England, we are pleased to announce that we have started to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Small Charity Week 2013
In recognition of Small Charity Week 2013, I thought I would share with you this message from Small Charities Coalition Chief Executive Alex Swallow and add my heartfelt thanks to all who support...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Genes have ‘small role in children’s reading ability’
Genes account for only 2% of children’s reading ability, a study has found. The study of 5,000 children looked at the link between their social background, genetic makeup and reading scores. Children...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Volunteers Week 2013: Reading Matters’ volunteers know that reading really...
Here at Reading Matters, we hosted a wonderful celebration event for our fantastic volunteer Reading Mentors. Held on 6 June 2013 at the splendid Midland Hotel in Bradford, our volunteers were treated...
View ArticleChild Wellbeing and Participation
I have found these two reports of interest, both published towards the end of August. Key findings are below. Child Wellbeing Public Health England has published a paper on which reveals how too much...
View ArticleHow do you use your pupil premium?
Pupil Premium In July, the Department for Education announced a series of measures to improve the effectiveness of the pupil premium. These include: Increasing schools’ accountability on disadvantaged...
View ArticleLink Between Early Behaviour and Attainment
Early Behaviour and Attainment As thousands of 16-year-olds found out their GCSE results in August, new research has found that three-year-olds who display hyperactivity, inattention or conduct...
View ArticleBullying Anxiety
Bullying Anxiety As thousands of Year 6 children become Year 7 and move to secondary school, a survey of 800 8 – 15 year olds by BeatBullying and Parentdish found that significant numbers of children...
View ArticleYouth Volunteering: Become a Reading Leader
Youth Volunteering The Third Sector Research Centre has published a report on factors which predict youth volunteering in the UK following a survey of 4760 young people aged 10 – 15. Key findings...
View ArticleLatest Ofsted statistics
School Inspections Ofsted has released the latest official statistics for school inspections from April – June 2013. Key figures include: 78% of the inspected schools are currently judged to be good or...
View ArticleReading for Pleasure boosts children’s academic performance
Children who read for pleasure are likely to do significantly better at school than their peers, according to new research from the Institute of Education (IOE). The IOE study, which is believed to be...
View ArticleReport shows many children start school without communication skills
A report from the Centre for Social Justice has highlighted the fact that many children are starting school severely lacking in social and communication skills. The report, Requires Improvement, found...
View ArticleReading Matters’ Impact Report for 2012/13
I have just completed our impact report for the academic year 2012/13. Thank you to all our Reading Mentors and Reading Leaders who, along with our partner schools, provide us with the information...
View Article