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Middlesbrough firm fulfills national literacy role

A READING scheme developed in the North East has taken off across the UK as schools strive to meet new Government literacy directives.

Specialist teacher Katy Parkinson called on her experience to devise the new teaching scheme with stunning results – the system is proven to improve reading levels by 24 months in just a few weeks.

Now Katy’s company Sound Training for Reading, based at Middlesbrough’s DigitalCity Business, is going from strength-to-strength with scores of new schools signing up every month and more trained supply teachers around the country being recruited to deliver the teaching.

Katy explained: “We are growing rapidly – it is really starting to take off - and in part that’s due to a big change in educational policy. It’s now an Ofsted requirement to teach literacy across the whole curriculum.

“As a result some schools fear falling behind and that’s something we can help them to address. We’re covering the whole country from Durham to London and even the Isle of Wight.

“We have gone from a small business with a couple of people to a big UK-wide business in a short space of time and with more than 60 new schools coming on board in September it’s going to be manic! And that’s great.

“The reading scheme isn’t just about decoding, it is about allowing children to understand vocabulary better, they learn how to work things out such as prefixes etc. So it helps across a range of subjects not just English.

“Some of the problems with reading come from the way society is today – it is seen as ‘uncool’ to read and that’s something we hope to help to change.

“Literacy has become a burning issue for the Government and the problem for some teachers is that they have focused on their own subjects for many years and have lost some of their confidence and skills in other areas.

“So part of our offer is an online resource for teachers so they can revise, or learn as they teach, and to which schools can subscribe on an annual basis.”

The innovative system was originally developed for secondary aged pupils who were reading below national standards - but Katy soon found her programme could help primary aged children as well.

Katy said: “More than 30 per cent of 14-year-olds are failing to achieve expected levels in reading nationally. Sound Training for Reading is fast, focused and fun - that’s why it works.”

Katy knows her expertise is in education and not in business and that’s why she contacted DigitalCity Business. The team has provided her with the support, advice and the confidence to take the programme forward, develop a business and provide pupils outside of Middlesbrough with the same opportunity to access it.

Mark Elliott, chief executive of DigitalCity Business, said: “Sound Training for Reading is a perfect illustration of the fact that we can help businesses across a range of sectors, delivering a range of services and products.

“It is great news that the company is doing so well and growing – it is also really important to recognise this is another example of businesses in the Tees Valley leading the way in the UK.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Benet .