insideKENT Magazine Issue 65 - August 2017 | Page 159

NEWS
CHILDREN’S LITERACY CHARITY RECEIVES HUGE FUNDING BOOST TO DOUBLE DELIVERY OF
ONE-TO-ONE READING HELP IN KENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS
National children’s charity
Beanstalk has received a significant
funding boost to double the
number of Beanstalk-supported
children in Kent schools by the end
of the 2018-19 academic year with
the aim of raising literacy levels
across the county. Beanstalk
recruits, vets and trains volunteer
reading helpers to provide one-to-
one support in primary schools
and currently supports just over
1,000 children across Kent and
Medway.
Child illiteracy continues to be a
persistent problem both nationally
and locally. In Kent, 39% of children
did not reach the expected
standard in reading in the new
SATS exams (2015-16). Beanstalk
works to help tackle this issue by
providing trained reading helpers
in local primary schools.
A cheque for £60k was presented
to Beanstalk by Kent Community
Foundation – a charitable
foundation which connects
generous people, families and
businesses with local causes that
make a genuine difference in the
community. Funds have kindly
been donated by the Crown
Charitable Fund and the Amity
Fund both administered by Kent
Community Foundation.
The money will fund Beanstalk’s
‘Read and Achieve’ project, which
will identify and work with primary
schools in areas of Kent and
Medway where reading levels are
at their lowest among children
aged 4-11.
“We are incredibly grateful to the
Kent Community Foundation and
its funders for awarding us this
grant. Their generous donations
will enable so many more children
to receive one-to-one support
across Kent and Medway, helping
to improve confidence and
attitudes to reading and smoothing
the transition to secondary school,”
explains Malou Bengtsson-
Wheeler, Area Manager for
Beanstalk South East.
If you would like to get involved in the ‘Read and Achieve’ project, either
to volunteer as a reading helper or to become a Beanstalk partner school,
please contact the Kent and Medway office on 01622 662026 or apply via
the website www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk.
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