Literacy Pirates

Resource type: Catch-up intervention

Price band: ££

Key stage: KS2, KS3

Region(s): All of UK

Literacy Pirates provides after-school programmes designed to boost reading and writing confidence for children aged 9-13 who:

are falling behind at school and
have access to fewer opportunities in their personal lives.

The Literacy Pirates programme offers weekly two-hour sessions that are led by an experienced teacher, supported by trained volunteers who provide one-to-one or small group support. Each session covers both reading and writing and includes:

book club-style discussions based on a selection of high-quality children’s texts and
opportunities for children to develop their own writing ideas as part of a creative community.

The sessions focus on the enjoyment of reading and writing and are designed to create a safe and positive environment that celebrates individual achievement, encourages a sense of self belief and boosts young people’s engagement and motivation.

Literacy Pirates is available as an online and in-person programme. The online programme lasts for one term and takes place on a dedicated Literacy Pirates learning platform.

The in-person programme lasts one academic year and takes place at Literacy Pirates’ pirate-themed learning centre in Hackney, London.

Cost: £750 per year. This flat fee provides a minimum of 10 places on the year-long, in-person programme, or 30 places across the year on the termly virtual programme.

About Literacy Pirates: Literacy Pirates is an educational charity that develops the core literacy skills of young people that have been identified as being at risk of underachieving. Originally called The Hackney Pirates, it was founded in 2011 by North London teacher Catriona Maclay.

Literacy Hive Likes:

Children taking part in the Literacy Pirates programme make five to six months’ progress in their reading age per term, compared with a UK average of 1.3 months of progress.
Children’s written work is published in high-quality illustrated books and there are regular celebration events to give students a lasting sense of achievement.
The Literacy Pirates programme is based on the latest Reading and Writing for Pleasure pedagogy and research.
Literacy Pirates can provide laptops for students who need them in order to take part in the online programme. They also support parents and carers with all the onboarding and technical requirements.
The Literacy Pirates programme supports pupils facing socio-economic barriers and can be financed using Pupil Premium.