A CHARITY that sends volunteer readers into primary schools has launched a recruitment drive to help Oxfordshire overcome its child literacy problem.

Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire (ARCh) already sends 180 people to help 600 children in 90 schools for three hours a week, working one-on-one with struggling pupils.

Now ARCh wants new recruits for September to help tackle the county’s low Key Stage One and Key Stage Two results.

In Oxford, a quarter of 11-year-olds do not reach the expected level in English by the time they head for secondary school.

ARCh founder Jane Rendle said: “Every year we survey the schools and ask them for feedback about the children we have worked with.

“Last year we found 99 per cent of children improved their reading and their confidence in reading.

“And among 98 per cent of them, their attitude towards reading had improved, which is important.

“Many we work with are chosen by their schools because perhaps they haven’t got the interest in reading, no-one reads to them at home, and some do not have any books at home. Children can suffer from a general disinterest in reading. We’re about encouraging reading, not teaching it, getting them engaged in it so it’s pleasurable and purposeful.”

Each volunteer works with the same three children for a year, providing two half-hour sessions a week and building up a mentoring relationship.

Ms Rendle added: “There may be a lot of competition these days from TVs or computers that offer instant gratification.

“Two thirds of the children we work with are boys, and perhaps they don’t enjoy stories as much as girls. Our volunteers work hard to try to find approaches that really interest the children. If a boy doesn’t like stories, maybe they would bring in newspaper match reports about their favourite football team.”

The Bicester-based charity, which gets no county council funding, was set up in 2008 after Volunteer Reading Help axed its Oxfordshire branch.

ARCh is recruiting across the county, but focusing on Oxford, Abingdon, Banbury and Thame.

Last year, Oxford’s seven-year-olds got the lowest results in the country for reading, writing and maths, while the city’s Key Stage Two results remained in the bottom 10 per cent nationally.

Ms Rendle said: “There are very poor areas of deprivation, and we prioritise our work in those areas and try to get our volunteers to help there.”

The charity is also looking for businesses which can allow staff members to give up three hours a week to the charity. DHL in Banbury already runs a scheme.

This month, performance poet John Foster joined illustrator Korky Paul, children’s author Shen Roddie and The Big Issue founder John Bird as a patron of the charity.

For details, call 01869 320380 or visit archoxfordshire.org.uk