READING OASIS
Children deserve books – books they love and can connect with. They are the key to a better future, which is why United Way UK is working with schools lacking reading resources to break the cycle.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds face the highest risk of being caught in a poverty cycle. Those with poor literacy levels have a higher likelihood of experiencing financial instability and unemployment later in life. Reading for pleasure, even for just 15 minutes a day, has been proven to improve learning levels through vocabulary acquisition and improved understanding of new concepts and ideas.
HOW IT WORKS
In schools where 30% or more of pupils are eligible for free school meals, we are working to donate a ‘Reading Oasis’.
Designed in collaboration with teachers, educational experts and children, every Reading Oasis includes:
A safe, inviting space within the school where children can enjoy reading
Specially designed furniture that encourages them to pick up a book, sit down and read
Hundreds of brand new books from our partner Scholastic
A book for every child to take home and keep
One book per month for a year for every child in nursery
Resources for parents, carers and teachers
Tips to help parents and carers read with their children
Reading aloud with a child for just 15 minutes every day is one of the most effective ways to improve literacy and address ongoing learning issues
“The percentage of children reaching expected standard reading in their SAT results this year was 93%, compared with 60% before the opening of our beautiful library.”
Abigail Hopper, Headteacher at Nightingale Primary School
PROJECT FOCUS – NIGHTINGALE SCHOOL’S READING OASIS
BACKGROUND
Nightingale school is a newly built school in Hackney that opened in February 2019. Before the Reading Oasis installation, there was dedicated library space with shelves and bean bags, but the budget to stock it with reading material was less than £200.
The school had culled many outdated and damaged books during their move, leaving an already under-resourced school with even fewer books.
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
Hackney is a deprived area with 48% of students qualifying for free school meals and many estates in the area labelled a “contextual safeguarding risk”, owing to violence and other criminal behaviour.
More than 60% of its students and their parents speak English as a second language, meaning the majority do not use English outside of school hours.
Prior to the installation, each classroom had a small reading corner. Resources were focused on the older pupils in order to support them before their SATs, leaving the children in their early development years without enough to go round.
A NEW CHAPTER
Nightingale’s Reading Oasis was donated by United Way UK’s Chair, Gary Von Lehmden, and his wife, Kathleen Gilmore.
For one hour after school each day, the library remains open to provide a safe space for children to immerse themselves in the world of reading. It also offers reading support including a daily ‘bed-time story’ for young children who are not read to at home.
From ‘The Tiger who Came to Tea’ to ‘Active English’, the Reading Oasis is now full of stories and textbooks that will help the kids find their voices, and dream big dreams of becoming something great.
The results speak for themselves. The library helped the percentage of children reaching expected standard reading in their SAT results jump from 60% to 93%.
"The impact that Reading Oasis has brought to the lives and futures of these students during the past 3 years has been a true joy to behold. From the initial excitement and thrill of having their very own books from their favourite authors at their fingertips to the feeling of personal achievement through reading proficiency, the power of Reading Oasis can now be seen as Nightingale students’ test results soar to heights never imagined."
Gary von Lehmden, Chair of United Way UK
Reading has a transformative power. It aids cognitive development, unlocks the imagination and encourages children to be curious about their world.
SUPPORT A CHILD’S FUTURE TODAY
Your contribution will support our Reading Oasis programme, enabling us to keep fighting for excellent education and opportunities for the next generation.