More than 1,500 primary children across the country are taking part in Department of Education and Skills (DES) week long English literacy summer camps. A further 1,000 children attended Campaí Samhraidh, DES funded Irish language literacy courses.
The Department is providing funding of more than €380,000 to cover all costs associated with the English and Irish literacy camps for 2011. 42 English camps are taking place this summer catering for a total of 1,512 pupils. Of these camps, 30 are underway this week.
Since the scheme began in 2000, 9,612 primary school children have benefited from the English literacy camps, called "Exploring Pathways to Literacy through Arts Activities". The Irish language Campaí Samhraidh has catered for 3,000 children in DEIS Band 1 schools since it was established in 2007 including some 1,000 this year.
The children who take part are from 4th to 6th classes in primary schools. The literacy camps are aimed at assisting children in literacy with an emphasis on fun learning.
"These literacy camps are very much in keeping with the Government’s commitment to make literacy a national cause," said Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn T.D. "Children who may find the conventional classroom methods of learning difficult, can experience a real breakthrough when reading is approached through fun ways such as drama, movement, dance, art or music," he added.
The Programme for Government emphasises the Government’s determination that all young people will leave school able to read, communicate orally, in writing and in digital media, and able to understand and use mathematics in their everyday lives and in further learning.
The Minister launched the "Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life" strategy in July, which sets out how the Department will work to achieve these crucially important goals over the period to 2020.
It sets ambitious targets and describes the actions that must be taken to improve the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy. From this September, primary schools will spend 90 minutes on literacy and 50 minutes on numeracy each day.
The summer literacy camps are an important contribution towards achieving the new Strategy’s targets. The 42 English camps are offered at a variety of DEIS schools throughout the country, from Galway to Mayo, Tipperary to Dublin. Participating schools nominate children aged 7- 11 years who would benefit most from this initiative. Up to 36 children take part in each camp.
The camps explore literacy, comprehension, reading and thinking skills through activities such as art, drama, music and dance. Most of the English camps are run in August as the impact of the literacy outcomes is more favourable for the child in preparation for the new school year.