Last month the Joanna Clarke Awards for Excellence in Education were awarded and the finalists were fêted at a dinner at Grand Old House in the presence of educators, sponsors, and supporters alike. My wife Pamela and I were honoured to accept the award on behalf of Catch Up Literacy Cayman, and on behalf of the programme we would like to thank the award committee, and the generous sponsors who have recognised the achievements of the programme.
Through the award of $6,000 they have provided desperately needed funding to expand the programme in the short term.
Catch Up Literacy Cayman has been operating in the Cayman Islands for nearly one year. It is a reading intervention programme that helps struggling young readers at school and is offered to the students in two 15-minute sessions each week, usually under the guidance of a specially trained teaching assistant. Catch Up Literacy has been operating in the UK for a number of years and is offered in over 4,000 schools in over 70 local authorities.
The motivation to introduce the programme to the Cayman Islands came after we discovered that there was an urgent need for it. Anecdotal evidence has indicated that employers and residents alike have for a long time put up with errors in emails, interesting invoices, or confusing job applications. When we asked some more questions to discover the true extent of the problem, we were shocked and decided this was definitely an area where we would work to make a difference. We are most grateful to the minister of education who ultimately approved the introduction of the programme into all Government schools. This would not have been possible without the tireless work of the staff in the ministry and in the Education Department who supported our proposal and pushed to make it part of the strategy, which is implemented by Anne Briggs in the specially created role of literacy coordinator.
Our proposal was a simple one – the Webster Foundation would work with Government to bring the proven Catch Up Literacy programme to all Government schools, in a large-scale pilot project for its first year of operation. We would provide the trainers, the training and all materials for all of the educators who would take part in the programme. And we would follow up with support, additional training and materials and the promise of a long-term commitment to give it the best chance of success – all at no cost to Government.
I am delighted to report that the early indications are that young readers in the programme are demonstrating rapid improvement in their reading abilities, their confidence, and their behaviour and that these improvements have been demonstrated to be lasting effects that will positively affect a student’s academic career and beyond. With the new prize money we are able to train more staff in how to administer the programme to students (we have trained over 40 to date) and now we will be able to offer specialised computer software designed by Catch Up Literacy to add an exciting new element to the program, and add an extra level of interaction and enjoyment that allows the students to thrive and learn, when they think they are just having fun. My own daughter is an enthusiastic participant, and chooses to entertain her first-grade friends with spelling games and phoneme recognition over Super Mario Brothers.
We would encourage any parents of struggling readers who participate in the programme to ask their child’s teacher or head teacher for more information on how they can encourage their child with the improvements they are making. We would encourage any teachers or teachers’ aides who want to get involved to ask their head teacher how they can make a difference and learn new skills themselves. And finally we would encourage employers and any others who would like to assist the programme to do so. While it does not promise to mend all of the world’s problems, we have a great opportunity to offer this help to every child who needs it in the Cayman Islands. The problem of illiteracy can be addressed, we can improve the prospects of our youth, and equip them with the most basic tools to actively participate in our society and avoid the pitfalls of social rejection, long-term unemployment, and antisocial behaviour.
My final thanks goes to the administrators and teachers’ aides who have done such a wonderful job of making this programme a success in its first year, they have truly made a difference and have shown faith in the education system and what it can achieve. Congratulations to you all.
To find out more about Catch Up Literacy, please visit www.catchup.org.uk To find out how you can help, please email [email protected]
Ben Webster
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