A simple 30-minute workplace scheme that pairs working adults with primary pupils for weekly reading sessions is helping to ease the pressure on busy parents and build shy children's confidence. New research shows that 64% of British parents manage less than an hour of reading a week with their young children, falling short of the recommended 70 minutes needed for a child's development.
Parents want to read more
The statistics, from literacy charity Chapter One, show that this is not through a lack of trying, with 86% of parents saying they would like to read more with their child. Mum Amanda, whose six-year-old son was struggling with his confidence before joining the scheme, said: "No parent is purposefully not reading to their child."
She explained: "When I was younger, my mum didn't have to work, so we could do this quite naturally at 3pm, whereas now we're trying to cram it in between 5pm and 7pm."
How the scheme works
Through Chapter One, volunteer staff can take 30 minutes out of their workday each week to listen to primary pupils read remotely. Amanda's six-year-old son was paired with Atos volunteer Stuart Michie. Speaking about how the scheme has helped her son, Amanda said: "He is a very able child. There's never been any doubt in his ability to read, but he doesn't believe in himself at all. I think in a classroom setting, he felt really pressured to read in front of other people."
She added: "Prior to Chapter One, if he didn't understand the word, he'd get really upset about it and he'd go really closed. But after this process, he now knows that if he doesn't understand it, that's absolutely fine."
Benefits for volunteers and children
For Stuart, Vice President for Health at Atos, the half-hour session offers respite from corporate life. "It gives you a circuit breaker," he told the Mirror. Typically in back-to-back calls from 7:30am to 6:30pm outside of the programme, he added: "You step away from tough finance meetings or demanding work problems, and suddenly your sole focus is helping a young child develop - it's only 30 minutes."
Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One, said: "Parents want to spend more time reading one-to-one with their children, but the reality of busy family life can make regular reading time difficult to find. Businesses have a valuable role to play. By giving employees the flexibility to volunteer, they can help children access trusted adults and give their people the chance to make a meaningful difference beyond work. When a child begins to believe that they can read, that confidence can stay with them long after the book is closed."
