www.literacytrust.org.uk family awareness, access and action: the partners in literacy approach
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www.literacytrust.org.uk
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
• 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 MBCSince 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:
• 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]
• 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]
• 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]
• 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
Community outcomes:Improved educational attainmentImproved employability/employmentPositive health outcomesCommunity engagement/participation
Family outcomes:Increased parental confidenceLiteracy activity in homeExpectations of achievementParental involvement in
education
Individual outcomes:Increased literacy skills and
confidenceRaised educational outcomesEmployment, further education,
trainingVolunteering, community
participation
www.literacytrust.org.uk
How might this look for a priority family locally?
Children’s Centre Staff andGPUp-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
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