Tideway is providing funding and volunteers for the online reading programme, TutorMate, which supports over 2,000 struggling young readers in deprived areas of the UK. Ten Tideway colleagues will read remotely for 30 minutes a week via the TutorMate platform with children in Tower Hamlets over the course of the current academic year.

TutorMate is an online, remote reading support solution for 5-7-year-olds who are struggling with reading. It is the core programme of Innovations for Learning (IfL), a UK registered charity, established in the UK in 2018, which believes in the power of literacy to transform lives. Repeated international research is clear that children who don’t read well by the end of primary school are those who struggle to fulfil their potential. Many disadvantaged children don’t regularly read with adults in their homes, and schools were already struggling before the pandemic to find the numbers of reading volunteers they needed to support the efforts of overstretched teachers.

“We are delighted that Tideway has agreed to support us this year. The need for TutorMate is greater than ever as the cost-of-living pressures on families compound the problems of the pandemic. Those who struggle with reading are falling even further behind and will benefit enormously from this additional reading practice with their own personal 1:1 reading volunteer,” said Emma Bell, Innovations for Learning UK, Executive Director.

“This has to be one of the most rewarding volunteering experiences, the students are growing in confidence at each session and the Tideway volunteers really do look forward to engaging and supporting their TutorMate student each week. This is a fantastic straightforward volunteering programme where we know we are providing real impact to many students and delighted we can help to make a difference,” said Kelly Bradley, Tideway Community Investment Manager

For more information about TutorMate go to https://www.innovationsforlearning.org/uk/home