Barncat conducted an evaluation of the Better Reading Partnership, piloted by Tolka Area Partnership in fourteen primary schools in Finglas and Cabra. The programme is designed to improve the reading ability of children by working with trained Volunteer Reading Partners, who read with children for 30 15 minute sessions over a ten week period.

The evaluation was concluded on December 17th 2010, and found that the programme had been a great success in the local schools, achieving almost maximum possible coverage of its target schools, and praised by teachers, volunteers and pupils. Barncat has recommended that the Partnership support the programme into a second, strategic development phase which will aim to secure sustainable long term funding for the project. An executive summary of the evaluation report is available here: Better Reading evaluation - executive summary (123.81 kB)

As part of Hannah's pro bono follow up work, she helped to prepare a submission to the Department of Education's Better Literacy and Numeracy consultation echoing the Department's own identification of the importance of community literacy initiatives and showcasing the Better Reading programme as a best practice example.

What they said:

'I found Hannah very easy to work with. She understood the questions we wanted the evaluation to answer, and her final report was clear, practical and well written.'

Anne Fitzgerald, Senior Manager, Tolka Area Partnership