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2010 is the Leeds Year of Volunteering and the theme for the month of May is ‘volunteering in literacy and learning’. See the Leeds year of volunteering website for more details.

Leeds Ahead and Extended Services – Inner North West Hub have worked together to design a literacy programme for businesses to support which was piloted at Kirkstall Valley Primary School.

An enthusiastic group of volunteers from West North West Homes undertook the challenge of working with a selection of struggling students on a regular basis in order to raise their levels of literacy. The children selected for the programme were below their chronological age in reading and most had no one to read to at home. The pilot was a great success with students across the group making excellent progress.

The children’s teacher commented: “It has been great to have the volunteers in school, the children are excited each week to read to their volunteer who they have built a good bond with. It is especially important to note that the boys have responded with great enthusiasm, particularly to the good male role models we have had as volunteers.

I feel the children have benefited a great deal from the one to one sessions, helping them to express themselves more openly and giving them confidence to read and engage. The sessions have also allowed me to build my own confidence and have given me a greater understanding of some of the difficulties faced by the children when it comes to reading.”