The final report has now been released and states,
“Evidence indicates that the Catch Up® training method is very effective” and “Trainees were positive about the content of the training, which was felt to be interesting, clear and thorough. After the training, trainees were very motivated to start working with pupils”.
The project has provided evidence that the standard Catch Up® Literacy and Numeracy packages, when supplemented by additional younger learners’ guidance, has a positive impact on the attainment and progress of these younger learners.
Information, advice and guidance leaflets were developed in order to provide strategies and approaches for carers/parents to support their own children outside the school setting. Book lists of suitable texts for working with younger learners have also been developed.
Support your struggling learners with the evidence-based Catch Up® Interventions
Catch Up® interventions have previously been used extensively with children aged 6 to 14 years. Learners on Catch Up® achieve more than double the progress of typically developing learners.
The new research has enabled us to include the guidance on how to successfully use
Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy with struggling learners younger than 6 years, specifically older 5-year olds, in our training and support package.
The Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy interventions are both based on rigorous academic research and are targeted to the needs of individual learners. They are both integrated training and resource packages that involve 15-minute individual sessions delivered at least twice a week by Catch Up® trained teaching assistants, teachers, tutors, volunteers or mentors. Hear a Headteacher talking about Catch Up®
Catch Up® interventions are available for a one-off cost and supporting adults, once trained, are able to work with any number of learners. Catch Up® has now trained over 36,000 supporting adults and it is estimated over half a million struggling learners have benefitted from receiving the Catch Up® interventions over 25 years.
In addition to supporting learners in schools and other educational settings, Catch Up has also trained foster and kinship carers to support the reading progress of the children in their care outside of school. In 2021 ‘What Works for Children’s Social Care’ (WWCSC), now ‘Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families’, asked Catch Up to participate in a project whereby Catch Up® Literacy training would be provided to foster and kinship carers. The project saw in excess of 40 carers receiving training. The research team for this exciting project was made up of researchers from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and the Institute of Employment Studies.
The final report has been published, and the summary states that, ‘…Catch Up® Literacy is feasible to deliver by foster carers in the home. Carers reported increased confidence and skill in reading for the children in their care’.
We have now built on this work further, working closely with the Norfolk Virtual School, using Catch Up® Literacy to deliver a bespoke programme to carers with the objective of promoting reading outcomes for those children in care who are working below their chronological age (Catch Up® Literacy – Supporting Reading). The Norfolk Virtual School Inclusion and Achievement advisor provided the following feedback:
‘Catch Up have worked with the virtual school to tailor the intervention to the needs of its participants. Carers have commented on the positive impact that they have seen through the programme.’
Catch Up® is a not-for-profit charity registered in England and Wales (1072425) and Scotland (SC047557); and Catch Up is a registered trademark.
Request a brochure to find out more about the interventions and our training and support packages or contact us for more information, or to take advantage of our special offers.
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