A film produced for the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne Education Achievement Zone about their ‘Born to Read’ Scheme which provides books and assistance to parent and other guardians to get children to start learning to read from 3 months to Reception. On Northumberland Street in Newcastle children’s entertainer Olly enthrals a group of children standing around him with a bag full of ‘stories’. As adults purchase fruit and vegetables from a stall behind him, Olly begins to tell a story with...

A film produced for the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne Education Achievement Zone about their ‘Born to Read’ Scheme which provides books and assistance to parent and other guardians to get children to start learning to read from 3 months to Reception. On Northumberland Street in Newcastle children’s entertainer Olly enthrals a group of children standing around him with a bag full of ‘stories’. As adults purchase fruit and vegetables from a stall behind him, Olly begins to tell a story with the help of two small boys. A montage of images around Northumberland Street and Grey’s Monument and children listening to the entertainer telling his stories. Title: Born to Read In the reception class of St Mark’s R. C. Primary School in Newcastle several pre-school children make up stories through painting, playing with dough and other activities while others sit quietly reading a book. The schools Deputy Head Erica Smith believes it is important that parent know the value of the written word all around them and that they and teachers take advantage of this knowledge. A brief montage of the classroom that includes letters being written on a computer screen changes to a baby in her mother’s arms responding to her mother’s sounds. Health Visitor Helen Rutherford walks along a path, goes into a house and sitting on a sofa beside a mother and her two children. The older child, a toddler, gets up and walks away as the mother talks to Helen about her baby in her arms. Helen begins to talk to the mother about the ‘Born to Read’ project taking a book out of a bag she is carrying which have been designed for babies of three months and above. Helen takes a second book from her bag and opens it for the older child to read, the girl points out some of the pictures to her mother. In a bath a one-year-old looks at the pictures in a plastic book its mother is holding. Another montage sequence featuring Newcastle city centre streets and a pre-school classroom changes to a toddler reading the book ‘Slinky Malinki’ with his mother, they are watched a white cat. The story over they head into the kitchen where the boy fills a cat bowl with food. In a living room a man comes to sit on a sofa to read a copy of ‘Auto-Trader’ magazine, a young boy wearing a Newcastle United top comes over to join him. They read the magazine together. Another montage of Newcastle city centre streets changes to grandparents coming into a library with their grandchild. They take a seat in a reading area and being looking through a book with the young child. In another part of the library a Magician puts on a show for a group of pre-school children. The children and parents, many of South Asian descent, watch on engrossed. Another montage sequence changes to a man taking his two children to the Blakelaw Health Centre. As he registers with the receptionist, one of his children takes out a book from a ‘Born to Read’ bag and begins to read it. His father and younger sister join him in the waiting room and all three begin to read the book together. Following another montage sequence a return to the reception class at St Mark’s R. C. Primary School where a small boy uses a wand to read details on a ‘Task Management Board’. Another boy uses his own wand to help him read a large book that appears to have been produced by the pupils in the school. Back on Northumberland Street children’s entertainer Olly uses a paper bird to help tell a story to a group of small children. Over the closing credits he hands out books to the children from his large sack. Title: Thanks to Chris Bostock, children and parents from Riverside Community Health Project, Anne Bonner, Erica Smith, children from St Marks’ R.C. Primary School, Gill and Charlotte Farrer, Lewis, Chloe and Sharon Spry, Helen Rutherford. Catherine and Lucy Johnston, Robert and Joanna Hume, Michael, Pat and Lar Ayre, Olly, Children’s Entertainer, children, parents and staff at Durham Street playgroup, Colin, Sid and Nisha Williams, Isabel Pitt, Rachel Woods, Bessie Williams, Gary Hall, Daniel Gains Credit: Photography Ken Slater, Graham Smith, Keith Blackburn Sound Tony Bannister, Pat Dale Graphic Designers Tony Bannister, Pat Dale Editor Jeanette Smedley Director Andy Snelgrove Executive Producer Judy Zajac Title: Born to Read was produced for the Newcastle Education Achievement Zone with the support of City Health Trust, Newcastle Literacy Trust, Education and Libraries Directorate Title: Life-long learning starts here. YOU are your child’s first and best teacher. Babies who share books with their parents do better at school. Talk, sing, tell stories and share books with children. Have fun! End title: If you would like to know more about Born to Read please call the Born to Read helpline 0191 224 3277