Get Hastings Reading

1. Get HastingsReading T: 07864 972 787 W: gethastingsreading.org.uk Twitter: @Literacy_Trust Facebook: nationalliteracytrust

2. National Literacy Trust Over 25 years of improving literacy levels in schools and communities www.gethastingsreading.org.uk

3. How we work • We support over 6,500 schools and early years settings to deliver outstanding literacy provision. Last year we directly supported the literacy of 103,465 children through our programmes. • We support families who need help most by reaching out to communities where illiteracy is entrenched and intergenerational. We have 9 Literacy Hubs in the UK. • We lead national campaigns, raising awareness with compelling research and a commanding policy platform. This year 73 businesses signed up to the Vision for Literacy Business Pledge.

4. Get Hastings Reading – hub priorities Get Hastings Reading is the name for the National Literacy Trust’s hub & campaign in Hastings Through the hub and our long term commitment to Hastings we are looking to do three things Make the whole town more aware of the importance of good literacy skills Improve literacy behaviours for target groups (children and young people aged 7-14) and focus communities (Central St Leonards, Hollington and North East Hastings) Improve community capacity through volunteer engagement

5. Campaign events 1 • Launch events of 25th January • Primary, secondary and SEND events. Almost all schools involved • School event with Albion in the Community at Ark Castledown on 1st March • Using hobbies as hooks - football came up as an engagement focus in our consultation and work with AITC brought this event to a target school • Hastings 100 Reads launch on 7th March • Pupils returned their cards from the launch events, list of 100 Reads by age band published. Good coverage and this work is then used to hang other activity on • Kid Normal event with schools on 22nd March • Almost all schools involved. Significant media coverage and excellent schools feedback

6. Campaign events 2 April - Celebration of Hastings 100 Reads winner (at OVPA), assembly on 26th April. Use for further press coverage and send out Hastings 100 Reads brochures to schools/libraries/community settings May – September -Set up and launch of Lost Words trails. i) Town wide trail reaching families ii) community focussed trails reaching focus areas iii) Schools trail activity pack reaching primary school children June/July – Begin promotion of Summer Reading Challenge with libraries service and undertake a ‘Drop Everything and Read’ moment to go with this. Increase level of take up, support celebration events August – Engage families in focus communities in Hastings Lit Fest events (work starting now on this). Utilise the H&W hubs to engage families and look at barriers to cultural engagement literacytrust.org.uk

7. Campaign events 3 • September – National Poetry Day. Performances, book drops and schools events with poets • October – Celebration events for Summer Reading Challenge, likely in schools also a more public event is appropriate • October – Hastings Storytelling Festival – promoting the programme to target groups in focus communities. Driving engagement with target schools particularly in the childrens day • November – Albion Literacy Cup – multiple primary schools engage in programme of creative writing culminating in stadium visit / player meeting etc and day of literacy activities with AITC tutors literacytrust.org.uk

8. Literacy Champions This is the name for our community and volunteer engagement programme in Hastings Q. Who are the Literacy Champions? People who live, work or have a connection to Hastings People who are passionate about improving literacy outcomes in Hastings People who can give some time to help improve literacy outcomes in Hastings Q. What do they do? Advocate for the importance of literacy in their home, workplace and online networks Run literacy themed activities in schools or their local community

9. Engaging with children and young people We try and ensure that all of our planned campaign activity is engaging for our target age of children and young people. We conduct research on themes that will resonate with them, this has shown that football as a theme works well and mange as an illustration style is engaging too. We are able to bring in the wide range of National Literacy Trust programmes into our schools with supplementary funding (Young Readers Programme, Words For Work, Dream Big, Love our Libraries, Skills Academy). Some will be running in next academic year We utilise our contacts across sports, media and music to create memorable events for children and young people

10. Is this just about reading? No – the National Literacy Trust and our local hub Get Hastings Reading want to improve all aspects of literacy Listening Reading Speaking Writing We talk about reading because people can generally relate to it as being an important literacy skill. The word literacy itself is off-putting to many If you have an idea for an activity or group that supports one of these areas then we probably have resources to help you

11. Schools engagement Undertaking consultancy activity with Hastings secondary schools looking at their literacy curriculum. Facilitated by a National Literacy Trust secondary curriculum specialist Secondary schools offered our Skills Academy programme free of charge – uses football, beatbox and breakdance for reading engagement Schools in North East Hastings offered National Literacy Trust programmes in partnership with a range of funders. Exact programmes will depend on need and capacity Schools membership engagement – demonstrate value of using funded National Literacy Trust membership, possibly combine with HOA literacy workshop