TEY 13.2

RESOURCE REVIEW BookTrust – Letterbox Club There’s something magical about getting a pleasant surprise. Something exciting. Something inspiring. And something just for you. Even those of us who were lucky enough to have been brought up in a secure home might just remember that feeling. Perhaps it heralded a birthday or some other special occasion. The sad fact is that there are many children who rarely experience that sense of being made to feel special. That is why the Letterbox Club, from the BookTrust, is such a gift. The Letterbox Club is a delightful way of delivering joy to children who might otherwise miss out on such simple pleasures. Very often, these are children who have never experienced the wonder of receiving something just for them. These can include the looked-after, the previously looked-after and those on the edge of the care system as well as children experiencing vulnerabilities or disadvantage. Children in care often have few possessions of their own, things that actually belong to them exclusively, so the Letterbox Club parcels enable children to have some quality resources that are theirs to keep; helping them to feel valued. I have known children who, on the face of it, are well looked after, yet are still suffering the effects of early-life trauma, neglect or abandonment. This can have a marked effect on their confidence, their behaviour and their capacity to engage with education. That’s why I felt a strong surge of admiration for this excellent initiative. Right, having got that out of my system, let’s look at what the Letterbox Club actually provides. There are six parcels in total, available for each age group from three to 13. These can be used flexibly to suit a school setting or group of children – either to be gifted to individual children each month or can be used as resources for use in school for small groups of children. That’s exciting enough. But when I opened the sample I was sent, I was definitely impressed. This was no tacky collection of stocking-fillers but a thoughtfully curated package of quality products. For a start, there are the books. My selection included a sweet, illustrated tale of fun and friendship and an exciting wildlife book packed with activities, information and stickers – who doesn’t love stickers? And remember, these can be used for children to keep, complete with labels to personalise them. For children who might never have had a book of their own, what a joy that would be! There was a currency-based maths game, complete with a generous supply of replica coins and notes. There was also a pencil case equipped with pen, pencil, rubber, pencil sharpener and ruler (everyone loves stationery!) plus a lined notebook in which to jot down thoughts, stories, whatever. And this does more than create a brief surge of wellbeing. According to testimonials from teachers and carers, it has helped to spark a renewed interest in THE VERDICT Quality products Thoughtful mix of items and activities Educational without being oppressively so Tangibly joyful A genuine boon to children who really need it UPGRADE IF… … you want to bring educationally valuable moments of joy and excitement to children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. £152 per child, including VAT Delightful packages of books, games and stationery for vulnerable children AT A GLANCE Exciting packages for children experiencing vulnerabilities or disadvantage Six parcels to be used flexibly to suit your school and children Quality fun and educational activities Perfect for schools and local authorities to support children with disrupted education REV I EWED BY: MI KE DAV I ES Visit: booktrust.org.uk/letterbox-club learning and, in some cases, led to marked academic progress. You can pontificate all you want about the "failure of the system", the plight of these children and how life has dealt them a bad hand. Then again, you can celebrate how, in a small way, Letterbox has delivered a way of bringing some tangible brightness to these tarnished childhoods for a remarkably small outlay. In my opinion, it’s worth every penny. ENGL I SH | MATHS | WELLBEING 54 Teachearlyyears.com