'I think it has strengthened her reading skill'

“I think it has strengthened her reading skill… I see her speed and accuracy has increased since she started her sessions.”

Neina is seven in and Year 3. She receives one-to-one weekly reading support from one of L2L2R’s virtual volunteers, Kimberly. We spoke to Neina’s mother, Rochelle, about how Neina has progressed with her reading.

Rochelle first heard about L2L2R when she attended a parent talk given by the charity’s director, Tara, at a children’s centre in Tooting. Since then, Rochelle has attended L2L2R’s Early Years classes with Neina's younger brother Vincent (3). She recalls: “Tara’s session at the children’s centre was so informative and inspiring that I was keen to participate in the workshops she then held at Balham Nursery. I’m pretty sure we got talking then and she mentioned the online programme to me.”

Neina started reading with volunteer Kimberley in October 2023. Each week Kimberley chooses a suitable book from an online reading library of graded reading books which are aligned to the reading programme used at Neina’s school. She shares her screen with Neina so they can both see the book. Kimberley listens to Nenia read the book, supporting where necessary, asking questions and chatting about what’s happening in the story. Rochelle feels that Neina’s confidence in reading has really increased as she’s become more comfortable having reading sessions with Kimberley.

She comments: “The good thing about the books used in the sessions is that my daughter recognises them from school too. I think this made it less daunting for her initially, and now I think she and Kimberley enjoy choosing new books to try.”

Rochelle feels the sessions are particularly helpful as, living in a small one-bedroom flat, it has been difficult to juggle her time and give Neina the individual attention without distractions to practice her reading. She has found that during the sessions, Neina is focused on her reading with Kimberley, while Rochelle is able to keep her little brother occupied with other activities.

She continues: “I think it has strengthened her reading skill. She was in [the] lower range of reading in school, but I see her speed and accuracy has increased since she started her sessions. It has stopped her from losing her confidence about her reading ability in front of her classmates. Having that time, which I struggle to carve out for her is really beneficial for her.”

We asked Kimberley to comment on her experience supporting Neina and she says: "I've really enjoyed reading with Neina, she's developed so much in terms of her skills and confidence since we started our sessions. It's been wonderful seeing her progress and I'm so glad we can continue our sessions together this year."

And what does Neina think? “My favourite thing about the sessions is the interesting things in the book,” she says.

So would Rochelle recommend L2L2R’s virtual reading sessions to other families? “Yes, especially for children who might need a boost with their literacy.”