More volunteers needed to aid pupils struggling with reading skills in West Berks

Assisting Berkshire Children to Read (ABC to Read) recruits and trains volunteers, who spend 30 minutes with a child, twice a week, to help improve their confidence through reading, talking and playing games.
The charity is now calling for more volunteers to come forward, saying that the demand in West Berkshire currently outweighs the number of volunteers available.
The chief officer at ABC to Read, said: “We aim to reduce the number of children leaving primary school unable to read at the expected level and to help break down the barriers felt towards reading and education in some parts of the community.”
The West Berkshire Liberal Democrat spokeswoman, Judith Bunting, added: “There are plenty of children, even in our wonderful West Berkshire, who do not read well or even at all, and the undivided attention given by ABC volunteers makes a world of difference.
“Latest evaluation data show that on average the performance of children supported by the charity improves by two educational sub-levels in a year, but whether students go on to study history or science, or just read newspapers, instructions and shopping lists, volunteers know that by teaching a child to read, they are opening doors to a fundamentally better life.”
Many schools within the district, including The Willows Primary, Greenham (pictured, with Ms Bunting), use a share of central Government pupil premium funding to fund ABC volunteers, at a cost of £360 per volunteer per year, which equates to £3 per week per child.
For more information or to register your interest in becoming a volunteer, call the charity on (0118) 9511336 or email abctoread@btconnect.com.