Volunteer role description

Reports to
Head of Volunteering

DBS requirement
Appointment to this role is subject to L2L2R obtaining a satisfactory enhanced UK DBS check. Volunteers who have lived abroad for more than three months from the age of 16 will also be required to obtain a police check from those countries, as per the Local Authority's (Wandsworth) regulations.

Purpose of the role
To support children in our partner schools with their reading (weekly sessions, generally with three children) or to support children virtually with their reading using Zoom (weekly sessions, generally with one or two children).

Duties and responsibilities

For in-school volunteers - Work with three children in one of our partner schools on a one-to-one basis every week for one school year. Children are in Years 1, 2 or 3 and between the ages of 5 and 8. They have been selected for support by our partner schools.
For virtual volunteers - Work with one or two children on a one-to-one basis every week for one school year. Children are in usually in Years 1, 2 or 3 and between the ages of 5 and 8. They have been selected for support by our partner schools or other partner organisations.
For in-school volunteers - commit to one regular afternoon a week during the school term for up to 90 minutes for a school year (apart from occasional holidays or appointments). This is usually between 1pm and 3pm but will depend on the school’s timetable.
For virtual volunteers – commit to one regular afternoon a week during the school term for approximately 60 minutes for a school year (apart from occasional holidays or appointments). This is usually within the hours of 4pm and 6pm depending on the availability of the family and volunteer.
Undertake L2L2Rs initial training for the role and annually refresh safeguarding training.
Follow L2L2R’s policies at all times – please especially note the Volunteer Policy and Safeguarding Policy.

As a L2L2R reading volunteer, you will need to:

Commit to a full year in order to provide stability to the children we support
Be punctual and timely in order to fit in with the school’s timetable
Be regular – children come to expect you and you are letting them down if you fail to attend
Keep in regular contact with the L2L2R Head of Volunteering or the Helpline as required
Be flexible – sometimes schools need to change timetables at the last minute.
Work in a way that promotes the safety and wellbeing of young people

Other information

Expenses
We value our volunteers and want to ensure that there are no barriers to volunteer involvement. However, given the nature of the project, we do not foresee any circumstances where a volunteer would need to use their own finances apart from travel costs. We are unable to pay travel expenses but will always endeavour to allocate volunteers to a school that is convenient for them.

Confidentiality
We ask all volunteers to understand that on occasions you may be privy to confidential information regarding children, including educational needs and assessment results. We expect all volunteers to maintain confidentiality at all times.