Get REAL - how a family literacy project is delivering positive results

As Bev Hampshire, at First Start Children's Centre in Sheffield, says, 'REAL is one of the few projects where parents do not drop out. They all start off well and see it through, finding the experience enjoyable and productive for their children.'

Ms Hampshire underwent training to deliver REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) in 2010, when she was employed at the children's centre as a key worker. Because the programme proved so effective, the centre looked at how it could concentrate its approach, and the decision was made for Ms Hampshire to move to working on intervention projects full-time, as a supernumerary.

Threeto five-year-old children are selected on the basis of who is most in need of support. 'This can include children for whom English is an additional language, very often boys and those who will find literacy difficult,' she says.

'I am looking at 12 families in total for the academic year, who each receive four home visits - that's 48 in total for the year.'

While that may sound like quite a challenging workload, Ms Hampshire is upbeat. 'It is empowering for practitioners. I work in a diverse setting and I have to adapt my approach for each individual family. Establishing a positive relationship with the parent is key, and that comes with experience.'

WOW FACTOR

While REAL was developed in the 1990s, it became a national programme in 2009 with the launch of Making it REAL, a three-year project funded by the National Lottery. Led by the Early Childhood Unit at the National Children's Bureau (NCB), in partnership with the School of Education at the University of Sheffield, it was initially delivered through 18 children's centres and schools in Sheffield and Oldham.

The model builds on the evidence of Sheffield's REAL project and offers families four home visits and four events to explore key strands of literacy - books, early writing, environmental print and aspects of oral language.

The underpinning ORIM framework is used to plan and reflect on how parents help their children's early literacy development by providing opportunities, recognising children's achievement, interacting and modelling literacy use.

Over the three-year funding period, 60 teachers and practitioners received training and support, and the impact spread to more than 750 children as REAL was extended to additional settings and schools across Sheffield and Oldham. In 2012, NCB research highlighted that 73 per cent of project children were sharing books every day, and 99 per cent at least once a week, while more than 60 per cent often sang songs and rhymes and 55 per cent talked about print around them.

Today the programme continues to thrive, with practitioners who are experienced in REAL's delivery continuing to refine and tailor their approach, while more free training is available this year to bring more professionals on board.

At First Start Children's Centre, Ms Hampshire reports that parents respond well to an initial meeting about the programme. 'It's important to convey that REAL is a means of supporting them as their child's first educator,' she says.

'I talk to them about my personal commitment to them and the need for their commitment, particularly when it comes to being in for the home visits and attending the events. Once I've broken the ice they open up.'

Ms Hampshire says there are four main areas that she centres on - environmental print, oral language, books and mark making.

'Environmental print is the first area because it's simple,' she says. 'It means going into the home and highlighting all the print that you take for granted, whether it's notes stuck on the fridge or the wording on cereal packets. We talk to parents about the importance of pointing to these things and talking to children about them, and parents respond with, "wow - of course!" At the first home visit I take a free starter pack.'

The next stage is organising an event for the child and parent. 'Recently, we organised a shopping trip to Morrisons supermarket and gave the children a shopping list, which showed a photograph of an item to buy.

'We gave them money and they individually bought their item, got the receipt and stuck this in their scrapbook. Parents were then able to put ways of talking to children into practice when they were out shopping, such as saying 'this is the sugar aisle', for example. In this way the event has a real practical application that does not get forgotten.'

BENEFITING TWOS

Early years teacher Ailsa Burton testifies to the fact that REAL has the capacity to grow organically, attracting parents as volunteers, who then acquire the skills to deliver it.

Ms Burton originally worked with REAL for a year in her capacity as a children's centre teacher in Oldham and took it with her when she subsequently moved to Oasis Academy Limeside in the Hollinwood area. She has been very impressed by what it can achieve.

'At the children's centre we'd worked with REAL in collaboration with a school in the area, and because one of the parents had felt it made such a difference to her daughter's life she had become a volunteer. Parent volunteers help at events and can get more involved if they want to. It's a great way of spreading the word.'

At Oasis Academy Limeside, Ms Burton now delivers REAL to two-year-olds. 'For this age group, we have looked at the existing strands and tweaked them. For example, we focus on nursery rhymes and we talk to the parents about oral language and suggest ways they can be hands-on in helping their child.'

Ms Burton believes it is a good way to engage with hard-to-reach families. She says, 'In many cases two-year-olds have been introduced to REAL through our work with older siblings, and families are already engaged with the project. In Hollinwood in particular there is a real shortage of early years provision and some parents choose to keep their children at home. REAL can be a way to counter this and once we have introduced a family to it they stay engaged, which benefits all the family, including younger siblings.'

What helps REAL to be effective is undoubtedly the enjoyment that families get out of it. 'It makes such a difference to parents,' says Ms Burton. 'We had one dad recently who was not engaged initially, but by the third visit he was showing us photos and was enthusiastic. The relationship with that family had become dynamic.'

Further information

More on REAL's research evidence at www.real-online.group.shef.ac.uk.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORIM FRAMEWORK

The ORIM Framework is based on the premise that there are four main ways that parents can help their children's literacy development, and was developed by Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Hannon of the University of Sheffield.

Opportunities for literacy

Parents can provide vital learning opportunities for children's literacy development, such as giving children books, writing materials, and CDs or DVDs of nursery rhymes.

Recognition of children's literacy development

Parents can provide unique encouragement by their recognition and valuing of their children's early achievements in, for example, early reading, writing, and spotting letters and logos.

Interaction around literacy

Children need their parents to interact with them in real-life literacy tasks where children can make a meaningful contribution.

Models

Parents can act as powerful models of users of literacy if children see them using literacy themselves in everyday life, such as reading a paper or writing notes.

WHAT TRAINING IS AVAILABLE?

The Early Childhood Unit at the NCB has developed training based on the partnership project with the University of Sheffield and Oldham and Sheffield local authorities.

Three regional training days are offered to individuals, funded by the Department for Education National Prospectus Grant (2013-2015). During the day, participants split into groups of 20 led by a trainer, who explores the early home learning environment, the four strands of literacy and ORIM.

Dates include:

12 October - Birmingham

28 November - Leeds

6 March 2014 - Manchester

For further information email ecuadmin@ncb.org.uk or telephone 0207 833 6807

NCB also works with the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, National Day Nurseries Association, local authorities and other organisations to offer events to groups of 20.