This paper considers the initial social impact of a national DCSF funded project, which provides books, number activities and stationery items (once a month over a six month period) directly to children aged 7 – 11 in their foster homes. The context of the project, established against a background of low attainment in literacy among looked after children in foster care in the United Kingdom, is explored. The paper focuses explicitly on the impact of receipt of the reading materials on the children themselves and others within their foster care environment. Particular reference is made to issues of ownership, textual preference, use of/engagement with the reading books together with the implications that these findings may have for future work in this field both nationally and internationally. Studies have established that the educational standards achieved by children in public care in the UK are lower than should be expected and that education has not been given sufficient priority in the past (Jackson 1987 and 1994; DoH/SSI/Ofsted 1997; Fletcher-Campbell 1997; Fletcher-Campbell and Archer 2003). At Key Stage Two (age 11) less than half as many children in care reached the national target level of performance as their peers. (Social Exclusion Unit 2003). Many local authorities are exploring ways of providing educational support for these children in school and elsewhere. Although this project is concerned with raising the level of children’s performance in literacy, it is about so much more than pushing up test scores and this paper concentrates on aspects of our research into these wider social implications. As Freire (1972), Brice Heath (1983), Street (1993), Pahl and Roswell (2005) and others have shown, literacy is omnipresent and its practices are embedded within the power relationships we form and the ways we experience everyday life both within and outside the home. Literacy can also provide an escape from tensions and disappointments of everyday life, enabling readers to develop their imaginative and aesthetic selves (Cox, 1991) and to enjoy what they are reading and sharing with others. Although enjoyment of reading is a difficult aspect to measure, The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report highlights the potential advantages of becoming an enthusiastic and frequent reader. It concludes that it could be one of the most effective methods of leveraging social change (OECD, 2002).The need to create opportunities for promotion of enjoyment of texts of different genres as a vital element of the literacy practices within every child’s home life is a key element underpinning this project. The provision of materials to support and develop literacy are a recognised concern in this field (for example Rees 2001, Martin and Jackson 2002) and a number of out-of-school educational interventions for children in care in the UK have previously concentrated on reading. Some have centred on reading and new technology: for example, the ‘Looking after literacy’ project (Wolfendale and Bryans, 2004) provided hand-held computers, books and monthly visits from a project visitor and the ‘Read Away Derby’ project focused on enhancing resources provided in children’s residential care homes to promote reading (Hatton and Marsh, 2007). However, the Letterbox Club project offers a different approach: by focusing on the receipt, engagement and ownership of the materials by the children in foster care, we are able to begin to explore the impact that textual ownership may have on their attitudes to reading.

This national project, developed in association with The Book Trust, commenced operation in 2007. 540 children aged 7 – 11 participated, the majority of whom had reading ages more than a year below their chronological age. The project’s impact was investigated using mixed methods. Care was taken to follow ethical guidelines. Reading ages were tested pre and post scheme (using Neale, 1997). Attitudinal questionnaires were used pre and post intervention. Children and carers completed questionnaires (midpoint and after six months) on responses to books and satisfaction levels. A small sample of semi-structured interviews were conducted post-project. SPSS was used to investigate improvements in reading. Interpretations of qualitative data (the focus of this paper) have emerged through initial independent, then shared codings of data and use of Nvivo software.

The findings raise issues concerning the support of foster carers in fulfilling a role in the literacy development of looked after children. They will also inform the project’s future book selection and guidance for foster carers about choosing books for children in foster care.