Northgate Managed Services involvement in Time to Read intervention proven to make a difference to children
04 February 2011
Northgate Managed Services is involved in Business in the Community’s literacy intervention programme Time to Read.
According to research launched today (Wednesday 26 January) by the Centre for Effective Education at Queen's University Belfast and supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, it is now proven to improve the reading outcomes for children.
As part of our Corporate Responsibility, we support our employees to volunteer for one hour per week, reading with two primary school children on a one-to-one basis with the aim of improving children's reading skills.
Today's report marks the culmination of four years' research which involved a random control trial of Key Stage Two pupils and consultation with volunteers, schools, education specialists and other key stakeholders.
Low levels of literacy present a huge cost to the local economy and significantly reduce the future prospects of the next generation who are at the lower end of the scale in terms of academic achievement.
Paul Connolly, Professor of Education at Queen's University Belfast and founding Director of its Centre for Effective Education explains: "This trial is one of the largest evaluations of its type undertaken internationally and the results provide clear evidence that Time to Read is having a positive effect.
"Our evaluation demonstrates that Time to Read is effective in improving particular reading outcomes for children, namely in relation to the foundational reading skills of decoding, reading rate and reading fluency. The effects it is achieving in these areas are comparable to other international literacy programmes that use volunteer mentors."
"The impact of this programme since its launch in 1999 is significant," explains Paul Rooney, Chair of Business in the Community. "Our member companies and businesses across Northern Ireland who have participated in Time to Read have supported over 4,600 children.
"In this year alone Business in the Community has involved over 500 volunteers in 120 schools at a cost of some £600k to Northern Ireland business, representing a huge investment by employers and an immense saving for government, particularly in these tough economic times.
"Since the early days of Time to Read we've been aware of the impact of the programme on participating children. Now, through support from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the subsequent involvement of the Centre for Effective Education at Queen's University, the results of this research prove that the Time to Read model is a clear reflection of the extensive positive contribution businesses can make in improving the outcomes for young people."
If you would like to find out more about Time to Read, please contact Graeme McKimm, Education Manager, Business in the Community, by e-mail at graeme.mckimm@bitcni.org.uk or call (028) 9046 0606.
For more information on Business in the Community, visit our website www.bitcni.org.uk
The full evaluation report is available to download from the Centre for Effective Education's website at: www.qub.ac.uk/cee
