Charity conference to focus on reading for pleasure

Speakers at the event will include English teacher Matthew Burton – one of the stars of 
the Educating Yorkshire TV series.

Mr Burton shot to fame for his starring role in the last episode of the programme in which he helped Thornhill Community Academy pupil Musharaf Asghar to overcome his stammer to pass an English oral exam.

The conference taking place in Brighouse on July 8 has been organised by Bradford-based charity Reading Matters who have been supporting schools in the region for the past 15 years.

Other speakers include Dr Rachael Levy from Sheffield University who will explore the value of reading for pleasure and Jan Winter, who launched a charity in Bradford which sends children in deprived areas of the city free books until they are five years 0ld.

Reading Matters trains volunteers to work in schools as reading mentors who work one to one with pupils. It also has a training scheme to allow pupils to become reading leaders and support younger children at their school.

In the last academic year it trained 876 people and its work reached more than 4,000 pupils.

Chief executive Rachel Kelly said: “On average over 10 weeks we increase a child’s reading age by 15 months.”