Children living in disadvantaged areas are 2.3 times more likely to have a speech, language or communication need. Research by Ofsted shows a clear link between disadvantage and poor "school readiness". Children who start school with poor vocabularies are typically a year behind their peers - a gap that continues to grow throughout education, culminating in poorer GCSE results. Andy Burnham has made closing this gap a core priority for Greater Manchester.

Our volunteers typically spend 2-3 hours a week with the family they support over a period of up to a year. Through providing resources and additional training in School Readiness, this army of local heroes will be able to help families prepare their children for school, improving their language and communication skills and shrinking the gap between them and their peers, ensuring they get off to the best possible start in their educational journey.