Do you know an adult who struggles with reading?

Do you know an adult who finds reading challenging? If you do, please would you tell them about Read Easy East Sussex coming to this area, in case they might be interested? This is the same reading programme that caught people’s attention with the BBC’s Jay Blades’ documentary, ‘Jay Blades: Learning to read at 51’ about The Repair Shop presenter and his successful reading journey as an adult. HOT’s Zelly Restorick asked Isabella Webb, Referrals Networker from Read Easy East Sussex for some more information.

Read Easy UK, a national charity of which Read Easy East Sussex is an affiliated group, offers free, confidential, 1-to-1 support to learn to read. Readers learn at their own pace using the Turning Pages programme, a phonics based course. The programme is now active in Hastings, St Leonards and Ore. Public but quiet spaces such as libraries, community centres will be used as venues. Coach and Reader meet twice a week for half an hour, timing that has proven to be very effective.

Read Easy East Sussex are looking to start sessions by the end of June/ beginning of July, although Readers can join at any time.

Adults who struggle to read face discrimination, isolation and can feel embarrassed, so often people won’t seek out help. Read Easy East Sussex offers 1-to-1 classes, appealing to those who may feel intimidated by joining a bigger class.

In England and Wales, 5 million adults have reading or writing skills below that expected of an 11 year old (Skills for Life survey, 2011)

1 in 5 adults would struggle to find a plumber using the Yellow Pages (Skills for Life survey, 2011).

Adults who struggle to read are five times as likely to be unemployed.

“Not being able to read or write holds a person back throughout their life, and they often become trapped in poverty.” (Dr Bonnie Teague, UAE Norwich Medical School).

The Jay Blades’ effect

Literacy charity, Read Easy UK, reported a record 104% increase in signs ups to its adult reading programme in 2022, fuelled by the BBC TV show Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51. The charity also saw a surge in interest from new volunteers and those who wanted to pioneer a new Read Easy group in their area. Read Easy UK now has 65 affiliated groups and 16 pioneering groups around the UK, with over 1350 volunteers providing free one-to-one reading coaching for adults who are unable to read.

Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 aired on 26 January 2022, and followed Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades’ experience of learning to read as an adult, using Read Easy UK’s 1-1 coaching programme. Readers meet volunteer coaches twice a week to follow ‘Turning Pages’ – an adult reading programme originally developed for prisons, especially written for adult learners by the Shannon Trust.

Jay concealed his inability to read until he was in his 30s, after he struggled to learn to read as a child. Jay is not alone – a quarter of all children in England leave primary school (1), like Blades, unable to read to the expected level. Nearly seven million adults in the UK have very poor literacy skills (2).

In the programme Jay met other people who were on the same journey with Read Easy – like Jeff George, 33, who is making brilliant progress and is now working within level 5, the final stage of the programme. Jeff wanted to be able to read stories with his son and open up his career options.

He also met Jacky Smith who had just started to learn to read in her 60s. Her main motivation was being able to read with her 8-year-old granddaughter and help her sister, who is partially sighted. Jacky is now working within level 3 of the programme and continues to make great progress towards her goals.

According to Jacky: “I am now able to make my own notes in my reading sessions, which I can refer back to, and I even wrote my own short story recently. Most importantly, I am able to read with my grand-daughter which I absolutely love being able to do – even if she does tell me off from time to time if I get something wrong!”.

Carla Priddon, CEO of Read Easy UK, said “2022 was a fantastic year for Read Easy UK and we are so grateful to Jay for sharing his experience, which has raised much-needed awareness and reduced the stigma around not being able to read as an adult.

Research shows that 2.4m adults in England can’t read at all, or can barely read (3).  In 2023, we want to ensure even more adults receive the support they need to learn to read.  We are always keen to hear from anyone interested in pioneering a Read Easy group, however we are specifically looking to launch new groups in the North East and Yorkshire.  We are also interested in hearing from volunteers who might have some spare time to support someone’s reading journey.  Finally, we would urge any adult who is not able to read properly to have the courage to come forward, like Jay, to ask for our help.”

1. Department for Education, National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 2012-2013
2. ‘Paying the Price: The Cost of Very Poor Adult Literacy’, Pro Bono Economics, September 2021
3. Skills for Life Survey, 2011, Dept BIS

 

Also in: Campaigns

« Disabled passengers stage ‘ride-in’ against ticket office closures
Hiroshima Day Commemoration 2023  »