Emma Orton spoke at the Club Frugal Meal on Thu 26 Mar 26 to introduce Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh), that helps pupils in Oxfordshire who struggle with their reading. They send trained volunteers into primary schools and aim to inspire in the children we see a love of reading. This will enhance their lives and improve their life chances.
Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) started in Oxfordshire as a branch of a national charity called Volunteer Reading Help until 2008, when the charity closed 5 branches in the South of England due to a lack of funding. At this time there were 120 volunteers supporting 360 children across Oxfordshire. With help from many local supporters, ARCh was set up as an independent charity to carry on the good work, focussing purely on Oxfordshire. In that time they have more than doubled the number of children they help each year thanks to the ever-increasing pool of volunteers.
The charity’s work is unique in Oxfordshire. In 2016 ARCh won the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
Oxfordshire has more than 16,000 children living in poverty; twelve of its wards are listed in the top 20% most disadvantaged nationally. Around 20% of children leave primary school with a reading level below expected and this has worsened following the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. In some areas of disadvantage this figure can be as high as 60%. This has an impact on children’s ability to learn across all subjects and severely affects their confidence.
The schools they work with report dramatic improvements in reading ability and interest, comprehension, self-esteem, communication skills, and general attitude to school and learning. Being an ARCh Reading Mentor is extremely rewarding, building up a relationship with the same three children on a one-to-one basis during a year means you can make a real difference to their self-esteem and ability to read.
Each year ARCh survey the schools they work with and year on year benefits are reported in children’s confidence and self-esteem as well as reading ability and interest. Their volunteers do not need qualifications or experience. They need to be patient, enjoy reading and have the appropriate interpersonal skills to help children and liaise with school staff.
ARCh Reading Helpers are trained to a high standard on an initial two-day programme, after which they have continued on-going support from their allocated Field Worker who helps them settle into a school which is local to them. They are also be provided with all the resources they may need and travel expenses between home and school are paid.
The Youth Committee will be assessing the many ways that Club could support ARCh, such as sponsoring a book box, a volunteer or a school.