Welsh companies pledge support to basic skills

Funded by the Basic Skills Agency in Wales as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Basic Skills Strategy, Bookstart provides an early introduction to books for young children. Packs of new materials can be ordered online at www.bookstart.org.uk or obtained through local library services, health visitors, or from professionals working with hard to reach groups. The packs consist of books and guidance materials provided free to eligible children. New materials include:

• Bookstart for babies aged 0–12 months. The pack includes an English and a bilingual text book, recommended reads, advice on book sharing, a rhyme time place mat and local information including an invitation to join the local library.
• Welsh Early Years pack for children between 18–24 months. The pack includes a book of traditional English and Welsh stories and songs, a CD, a scribble pad and crayons, a counting chart, recommended reads and an invitation to join the library.

World Book Day grants

In March, 35 grants of between £300 and £30,000 were given to a range of organisations, including colleges, libraries, LEAs, prisons and private employers, to help promote World Book Day in innovative ways. Activities varied in size and scope and included ‘Read a Book in a Day’, school/workplace reading events and a ‘Book Swap Tea’ amongst many others. Find out more about some of the activities.

How to…teach spelling

The How To… series of Agency publications provides useful tips for secondary school teachers, and to support the Basic Skills Agency Secondary Quality Mark. Available in both English and Welsh, the items are available free of charge to download from our website or to order (postage and packaging charges apply). The series of 11 leaflets includes How to… teach spelling in KS3 subjects across the curriculum, How to… teach the drafting process, How to… teach skimming and scanning and How to… develop language for thinking in KS3 maths and science.

Practice worth sharing

Voluntary and community sector basic skills – Caer Las, Swansea

How does voluntary and community sector basic skills provision differ from mainstream provision? Trish Best, Basic Skills Tutor for Caer Las Cymru, a charity working with vulnerable people in Swansea, explains her holistic view of basic skills as part of the solution for people with wider social issues. She explains how outreach programmes, cookery classes and games - alongside more traditional basic skills tuition – are helping the homeless and mentally ill gain confidence and independence.