The National Reading Network

‘Many Young Offenders have poor literacy and numeracy skills. Just under a third have basic skills deficits. Nearly three-quarters were excluded from school at some stage, and 63% were unemployed at time of arrest.’
www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

From 2008 to 2010 Shannon Trust piloted a Reading Network of YOIs in the West Midlands, funded by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, in order to improve availability and take-up of the Toe By Toe Reading Scheme amongst Young People and Young Adults.

Over the three years regular meetings were held both with individual Prisons and with a group including Facilitators, Education Providers, Shannon Trust Local Representatives, IAG providers, YOTs and other stakeholders to identify and develop a best practice delivery model. This included:

  • Prompt ways to identify prospective Learners on arrival.
  • Regular delivery of Mentor Training and on-going support.
  • Robust and practical data collecting methodology.
  • Snapshot Evaluation processes.
  • Process for measuring progress for the Learner.
  • Prison-wide awareness raising including obtaining SMT support.
  • Ways of continuing support for Learners and Mentors on release.
  • Securing the provision of Toe By Toe within the YOI.
  • Methodology for tracking Learners and Mentors when moved across establishments and so reduce the impact of the Churn.

The pilot saw Toe By Toe activity go from 19 YOs involved in 2007 (before the start of the Network) across the 5 YOIs to 201 in 2010. Over the three years of the pilot 497 Young Offenders have engaged in Toe By Toe across the five YOIs.

This success has led to Shannon Trust being awarded continuation funding for a further three years from Lloyds/TSB Foundation for England and Wales. This funding is to expand the Reading Network to all the YOIs in England and Wales. To this end new staff have been taken on to lead the development in the North and South and the Midlands group has been expanded to now include HMYOIs Glen Parva and Littlehey.

2nd Floor
Royal London House
22-25 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1DX

T: 020 7374 8855
E: communications@shannontrust.org.uk

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