Freelance Literacy Trainer

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Job description

The Children's Literacy Charity is expanding its education team and seeking one or more Freelance Literacy Trainers to help grow the charity's Reader Leader programme as well as support tutor professional development and literacy training needs in schools and partner organisations.

Hours: initially 2-4 days a month but should increase as demand grows

Rate: £125-£200 per day, depending on training need and location.

Location: working from home but able to travel to schools around London and rest of England as needed to deliver the charity's one-day Reader Leader training. Induction and occasional visits to London Head Office at the outset.

Role:

The charity has exciting plans to grow its Reader Leader programme across both primary and secondary schools and is looking for experienced trainers with a background in literacy who will work with us to help promote the programme and deliver the one-day training course in schools.

Our Reader Leader programme is a one-to-one mentoring scheme where a more confident older student (The Leader: usually a Year 10 or 11 student) is paired with a less confident, younger reader (year 7 or 8).

Leaders receive training from the charity in everything from phonics to how to deliver a successful literacy session. Taking part gives them the opportunity to try out new skills and gain valuable mentoring experience, often sparking ideas about future career choices.

For younger pupils, working one to one with their Leader, they have the opportunity to catch up with their reading and gain confidence from tailored support and encouragement. For Year 7 pupils in particular, the programme helps ease the transition into secondary school.

For schools, the Reader Leader programme helps to create a culture of reading and build positive and supportive links between year groups.

In addition to the Reader Leader programme, the Trainer would help the charity with training and professional development for its cohort of highly skilled tutors who deliver our specialist literacy intervention for primary school pupils.

We have a long history of working closely with schools and also provide ad hoc literacy and phonics training - for example some schools ask us to deliver new or refresher training sessions for school staff on Essential Phonics or Dyslexia Awareness. Other training needs include running occasional parent workshops and training for partner organisations and corporate partners.

Role requirements:

Candidates are required to be educated to degree level or equivalent and have experience of delivering literacy training/teaching and working with young people.

Experience of teaching/working in a primary or secondary school setting and qualified teacher status is highly desirable, in particular teaching/tutoring pupils with literacy difficulties and knowledge of specific Learning Difficulties relating to literacy.

Additionally, experience of developing training packages and supporting materials would be preferred; as well as experience of project management and working with schools to promote the charity's services.

Essential personal qualities are: strong organisational and time management skills; able to prioritise and manage a varied workload which may require travel and very occasionally overnight stays.

The charity seeks a proactive self-starter, able to work on their own initiative but also a reliable and collaborative team player, skilled at building productive relationships. The ability to analyse data; identify opportunities and respond positively and creatively to feedback is valued.

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential: able to relate and communicate with confidence, credibility and professionalism with pupils, senior school leaders, colleagues and sponsors.

Administratively self-sufficient and competent in Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)

About Us:

The Children's Literacy Charity aims to close the literacy gap for all disadvantaged children.

Working in primary schools in areas of deprivation, our expert tutors seek to unlock the potential of children who can be up to two years behind where they should be, not just with reading but with all the important literacy skills: writing, comprehension, listening and speaking.

The charity's specialist tutors provide tailored, one-to-one and small group literacy tuition, giving disadvantaged children the chance to catch up with their peers, grow in confidence and engage with learning.

The charity firmly believes that the earlier the intervention, the greater the benefit and that its focus on all aspects of literacy, its proven multi-sensory, phonics led intervention delivered by high quality tutors produces remarkable results.

We have been delivering life changing literacy since 1992 and our work is needed now more than ever.

To apply for the post, please click the 'Apply' button and complete the application form.