Benchmates Foundation
How a Reading Circle Works
Learning Starts With the Child, Not the Grade
Benchmates Foundation brings children aged 6 to 12 who are out of school because of poverty into volunteer-led reading circles in their own neighbourhoods.
A short reading and number assessment sets a starting point. Skill decides where a child begins, not age or grade.
A Small Group, a Steady Rhythm
- children per circle
- 14–15
- vetted and trained adult volunteers
- 3
- afternoons a week, Monday to Thursday
- 4
- per session
- 90 min
A circle runs for five weeks. Fridays are for catch-up and caregiver meetings.
Five Stages. One Pathway.
Each step prepares a child for a school or accelerated education place, then stays close enough to see whether that placement lasts.
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Find
Door-to-door enumeration, a caregiver meeting and written consent.
OutcomeA named register of children who may join.
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Assess
A ten-minute reading and number test.
OutcomeEach child is placed on one rung of the five-rung ladder.
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Teach
Level-group lessons use Teaching at the Right Level.
OutcomeChildren practise reading and number skills at their level.
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Place
Help with documents and a uniform, then an introduction to a school.
OutcomeA school or accelerated education referral and an enrolment letter.
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Keep
Monthly home visits and school register checks for three months.
OutcomeA follow-up record. A placement that does not last counts as a failure.
A Ladder from Letters to Stories
A ten-minute reading and number assessment places each child on a starting rung. Lessons follow the child’s current skills.
- Cannot recognise letters
- Recognises letters
- Reads words
- Reads a short paragraph
- Reads a story
Reading, Numbers and a Story Circle
Teaching at the Right Level groups children by current learning level, so practice meets them where they are.
Why This Approach
Benchmates Foundation uses Teaching at the Right Level. J-PAL reports that randomised evaluations over fifteen years show some of the largest learning gains among rigorously evaluated education programmes. Community members and volunteers have delivered it well outside the school day, and Nigeria has implemented it in seven states.
J-PAL, Teaching at the Right Level.-
Welcome
Roll call by name and a plant-based snack.
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Letters and Sounds
Level-group learning, with each child working at their level.
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Numbers
Number practice with counters and bottle tops.
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Shared Reading
Children read a shared page aloud, two children to one book.
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Story Circle
A story and a closing word in English.
Safe by Design, in Every Circle
No adult is ever alone with a child. Sessions take place in open, visible venues where caregivers can enter.
Read the safeguarding approach