The outcome of our Think2Read action research (2013/2014) shows that parental involvement and high-quality early years provision can ‘narrow the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children’ (Nutbrown Review 2012).
Through a series of structured family workshops parents and children can learn how to use interactive resources and picture book-talk effectively to explore the essential reading-for-meaning and learning skills together at home.
Emile Buchwald said that “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” I think most teachers would agree with this. However, reports such as the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE, 2013) suggests that millions of children in England and Wales do not have this advantage early in life and are often held back by their parents’ poor basic skills. NIACE and more recently, the House of Commons Education Committee (2019), urge educators to incorporate whole family learning as early as possible into school life. They warn that if we do not find ways to encourage disadvantaged families in particular to take part in family learning to boost their skills, we cannot expect to improve educational attainment across the generations to come.
