We first established our place-based approach in Middlesbrough back in 2013. We reflect on over 10 years of work in the town, standing side-by-side with brilliant local organisations, dedicated schools and thousands of children and their families.
Middlesbrough is one of the poorest parts of our country with almost 40% of children living in poverty. This not only harms their lives now but damages their future potential.
This is why the National Literacy Trust has been working in Middlesbrough for over a decade to boost literacy skills and inspire a lifelong love of reading in families across the town.
Literacy to grow
We have always worked with families at the earliest stage of a child’s life, equipping parents with the confidence and tools they need to build a language rich and play-filled home.
Whether through training for nursery staff, storytelling trails in the local park or by equipping Health Visitors with top tips to share with parents at home, we have always worked with and alongside the local community in innovative ways.
It was in Middlesbrough that we first piloted our work in neonatal wards, gifting books and advice around the power of sharing stories to bond with your baby. It was here that we could see the tangible impact our work was having on the life stories of families in Middlesbrough, stories like Helen's whose son James was born prematurely,
“I was only able to spend the first 8 nights at hospital before I was discharged. One of the things that helped with leaving him was to [always] have a story together... I was sure that reading was helping him as well as me.” James’ mum
This became a pillar of our work in the town and we have now supported the parents of 4,800 babies cared for at James Cook Hospital; empowering them with the knowledge and confidence needed to build a love of reading from the very start.
You can read Helen and James’ story in full.
Literacy to learn
Since the very beginning, we’ve also supported children throughout their time at school, working alongside teachers, libraries and the wider community to ensure that every child leaves with literacy skills for life.
In the classroom, our inspiring and evidence-based programmes - such as the Young Readers Programme and Puffin World of Stories - promote a love of reading and the importance of book choice.
In the community we collaborate with publishers, creatives and cultural venues, as part of our ongoing work with Arts Council England, to boost reading for pleasure and increase book ownership.
Grass roots activity – ranging from storytelling sessions in libraries to book hunts in local parks – happens across the town and is led by volunteer Literacy Champions who know their communities best. With their support, we are able to reach families in meaningful ways and build trusted relationships.
Large scale annual events - like the Big Boro Book Bash– bring high profile authors and significant local voices to town to inspire hundreds of children each year. Each child who attends goes home with a book to keep – often by the very authors they met that day.
“Engaging activities, such as interactive storytelling and Q&A sessions [like these], allow the children to connect personally with the authors and their stories. This exposure not only inspires [them] to read more but also encourages them to explore their own creativity.”
Teacher, Beech Grove Primary School
Shielding children from the reading for pleasure crisis
Last year, our latest research revealed that children's reading for enjoyment had hit an all-time low, with just 1 in 3 children across the UK saying they read in their free time.
Yet in the schools of Middlesbrough where we work most intensively, we’ve been shielding children from this national decline. Happily, 2 in 5 (41.8%) of these children and young people said they enjoyed reading in their free time.
Across our 13 years in the town, we have:
- reached over 120,000 children with reading for pleasure activities in and outside of school,
- gifted over 200,000 books, ensuring that access to books isn’t a barrier to building a love of reading.
This matters because we know that when children enjoy reading in their free time, their reading skills, aptitude for learning, wellbeing, empathy and confidence benefit.
Children like 10-year-old Skyla, who encountered our Middlesbrough reading for pleasure initiatives and activities while she was at Beech Grove Primary School, can now say she loves reading and even, “would like to be a teacher to make other children happy and share stories with them like Miss Park [her teacher].”
Expanding on a national scale
The work we started over a decade ago in the town established the blueprint for the National Literacy Trust’s community-based work; which has since expanded to 19 other towns and cities across the UK.
In Middlesbrough we developed an approach to be at the forefront of tackling low literacy levels, working alongside schools, families and the wider community to empower children and young people with the literacy skills they need to get the most out of life.
Hundreds of schools and libraries, 43 publishers, well-known national and local businesses, over 1,300 volunteer Literacy Champions and organisations at the heart of local communities now stand side-by-side in our mission.
From school playgrounds to shopping centres, football stadiums to foodbanks, we meet families where they are to empower them with literacy skills to change their stories.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about our work in Middlesbrough, or would like to find out how you can make a difference in your area, please get in touch. You can email us Middlesbrough@literacytrust.org.uk.