What we do
Springboard for Children aims to raise the aspiration and attainment of children who are, for whatever reason, left behind in the education system. Working in partnership with schools we provide dedicated literacy centres for children who struggle with the task of learning to read and write.
Every day thousands of children across the UK struggle with reading and writing. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children do not achieve the expected levels of literacy by the age of 11. In disadvantaged city areas this figure rises to 1 in 3. Springboard for Children is committed to responding to this challenge and stemming literacy failure which can so often condemns children to a life-time of disadvantage.
The children we teach have considerable barriers to their literacy learning and may have been referred to other interventions before coming to Springboard. Often they will have experienced unsettled, or sometimes chaotic, home environments and many will have specific learning difficulties. Without Springboard’s provision, the children we teach would fall further and further behind their peers.
Early intervention, whole school partnerships and a focus on individualised learning for the ‘whole child’ and the families of which they are part are all key to our success. To support schools and families we offer a range of additional services which underpin our centre-based one-to-one teaching and mentoring:
- Targeted, skills based training for teachers and teaching assistants and other interested professionals
- Workshops for parents in communities, schools and workplaces
- Resources and initiatives for parents
- A peer mentoring programme for children navigating the transition from primary to secondary school
- Specialist consultancy for school leaders in Communication Language and Literacy Development
- Diagnostic testing for early signs of literacy problems (school-based)
We believe that every child has a right to a fair start, and for those who need specialist support we are there to help them make a giant leap forward into a brighter future.
