A NEW project has been started in deprived areas of the Bradford district to encourage parents to be more engaged in their children’s learning.

The Inspiring Parents scheme has been created by Bradford Stories, a campaign run by the National Literacy Trust's Bradford Hub, and funded by the Bradford Opportunity Area.

It aims to improve literacy attainment for a children aged nine to 11 by supporting parents to be more involved in their learning at school and at home.

It comes as last year almost a third of children in Bradford - 29 per cent - left primary school unable to read at the expected level for their age.

Research has shown when parents and carers take an active role in their children’s education it can transform their chances of success at school and beyond.

To launch the new scheme, two fun-filled family events were held in Bradford and Keighley last week to engage families in the project.

One was held at St Christopher’s Church in Holme Wood, and the other at Central Hall in Keighley. Activities at the events for families included designing their own comic strips and creating their own newspaper front pages to celebrate stories from their community.

All of the activities were examples of creative ways parents can help develop their children’s reading and writing skills at home.

Children’s author James Nicol was also on hand to lead storytelling sessions and hand free books out for families to take and read at home.

The Bowling, Keighley and Tong areas have been chosen as they have some of the most deprived areas in the district and the programme will operate in selected schools in those areas to promote positive parent-school relationships and raise awareness of the impact of parental engagement at home on their child’s learning.

It will be run by parent volunteers - known as Parent Champions - from the local community who are best placed to understand and help overcome the challenges faced by families in those areas.

Each volunteer will lead a six-week programme of literacy-themed activities with groups of parents, which will be tailored to the specific families and their needs, and will range from school coffee mornings, family reading groups, and creative activities to do at home.

These activities will help parents understand the importance of supporting their child’s learning and give them ideas and suggestions for ways to continue their child’s learning at home.

Imran Hafeez, Inspiring Parents lead and manager of Bradford Stories, said: “Parents and guardians play such an important role in their children’s learning and outcomes.

“Their engagement is a more powerful force for academic success than other family background such as social class, family size, and level of parental education.

“We want to get more parents positively engaging in their children’s learning and give them the confidence to know that their involvement is invaluable to their child’s happiness and later success.”

Bradford is one of a dozen areas in England chosen by the Department for Education as an Opportunity area, meaning the district benefits from increased funding to improve social mobility and unlock the potential of England’s young people through education.

Anne-Marie Canning, independent chair of Bradford Opportunity Area Partnership Board, added: “The Bradford Opportunity Area is pleased to be able to support the National Literacy Trusts Inspiring Parents events.

“We aim to reach as many parents as possible in local areas through Parent Champions, who can offer practical help to other parents read for fun to their children and help them develop essential reading and communication skills.”

Bradford Stories, run by the National Literacy Trust and Bradford Council, has been in operation since 2014.