Oldham schools come together to ‘make it REAL’ at Christmas literacy event
Children across Royton have been celebrating the festive season together by boosting their literacy skills as part of Oldham Council’s Making It REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) programme
Forty families, including pupils from Heyside Pre-School and Blackshaw Lane Primary School’s nursery and reception classes, participated in a fun Christmas literacy event — the latest in a series of ‘Making it REAL’ events.
After a lively performance from Father Christmas’s elves, the families enjoyed a variety of literacy activities based on REAL principles. These included reading Christmas-themed books together, making Christmas cards and Christmas tree decorations, and drawing festive images.
“Making it REAL” is an evidence-based, award-winning programme that aims to create a positive home learning environment. Professionals work with families to support children’s early literacy and development, building parents’ knowledge and confidence so they feel equipped to help their children read and write. It is based on the original REAL project, developed by Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Hannon at the University of Sheffield. Now, more than 130 children from 17 schools and settings across Oldham are involved in “Making It REAL”, participating in home visits and literacy events throughout the year.
Parents at the event were enthusiastic about the benefits of “Making it REAL”. Peter, who attended the event with his son Henry, said: “Henry is interacting really well and getting great feedback, which is always good to hear. He was over the moon to see his teachers during the home visits: he was jumping up and down!
“We read We’re Going On A Bear Hunt together, and after reading we made a bear mask, acted out the story, and we were given a jigsaw we’ve been playing with. He’s doing so well: I’m happy with his development so far.”
Lauren, who took part in “Making It REAL” in 2024 with her daughter Nova, said: “It was a lovely, really enjoyable experience. It gave us lots of ideas of ways to play together, including activities that involved the stories we’ve read; we played a matching game based on The Hungry Caterpillar, which Nova absolutely loved.
“One activity we enjoyed was going for walks together. It was nice to spend quality time together and do things we wouldn’t normally do, like pointing out signs as we were walking. It was amazing to see how engaged she was, tuning into what was around her. It’s encouraged her to talk about things she sees while we’re out and about, and that’s carried on after the project; even now, when we’re out shopping or running errands, she’s always pointing out signs and numbers.”
Members of staff from Blackshaw Lane Primary School and Heyside Pre-School were equally effusive, particularly about the links between the schools that ‘Making It REAL’ has established. “This is our first year doing the REAL project, so we’re really excited to see the impact of it”, said Katy Claber, teacher at Blackshaw Lane Primary School. “It shows our parents simple activities they can do at home, and it’s brilliant to see how enthusiastic families are to get involved. It’s also building links in our community: it’s great to connect with Heyside Pre-School, as hopefully some of their children will join our school.”
Sam Clarke, manager of Heyside Pre-School, said: “We love the REAL project: I think it’s absolutely wonderful. It’s great to link up with a local primary school because it gives parents and children an idea of what the school’s like, which enables a smoother transition from pre-school to primary school. It’s nice to have the partnership with the parents, too; parents have recommended REAL to other parents because they’ve seen the progress their kids have made.”
Sam’s colleague Ellen Douglas, who leads on ‘Making It REAL’ at Heyside Pre-School, said: “‘Making it REAL’ is a very exciting project, and events like this are a fantastic way of engaging families and showing what the project is about. It’s informal and fun, and hopefully it will encourage parents and families to continue with the project and activities.”
Making it REAL is backed by Oldham’s Best Start Family Hubs, which provide universal support to families across the borough.
Laura Williams, Early Years and Primary Challenge and Intervention Officer at Oldham Council and member of the ‘Making It REAL’ team, said: “It’s brilliant to see families enjoying the REAL project, and to see local schools working together to foster a love of reading and early literacy skills in their pupils. We want more schools to get involved with “Making It REAL”, so we can boost literacy skills for every child in Oldham.”
To find out more about Oldham Best Start Family Hubs’ Home Learning Environment work, click here.
