FAQs

Who runs this project?

This project is led by Holly Joseph and Daisy Powell from the Institute of Education at the University of Reading, in collaboration with community members and organisations in South Reading. We are also in the process of expanding to other parts of Reading, and hopefully to other parts of the country.

What is so special about your sessions?

We designed our sessions in collaboration with local parents, teachers and other practitioners to ensure that they fit the needs of the specific community in which they take place. This is key to making sessions relevant and engaging.

We also ensure that “book language” is a central part of the sessions so that both children and parents leave the session knowing the book well and feeling confident to read the book again at home (we give free copies of the book we read to families to keep). Research shows that children who read or are read to at home have the best possible chance of expanding their vocabularies and are more likely to thrive at school and we want to make sure every child has this opportunity.

How can I get involved?

If you’d like to come along to one of our sessions, we currently run groups in Whitley Wood and Hexham community centres in Reading. For more information, you can contact Elli or Rinna who run both groups.

If you’d like to set up a group yourself, our story sacks are a good place to start and we’re always happy to talk through ideas for starting a new group.

I don’t live in South Reading – can I still join?

Anyone can come along although we know most people prefer to go to local activities.

I want to start a new group in my area – can you help?

Definitely! You can find our contact details by clicking the links on our names above and on the Research Team tab.  Just get in touch and we’d be happy to chat.