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City MP praises work of popular ‘Pompey Pirate Ship’ Literacy Hub

By 14 January 2022February 15th, 2022No Comments

Stephen Morgan MP has praised the work of the Pompey Pirate Ship for its role in the city’s popular Literacy Hub scheme.

Visiting Pompey Pirate Ship with Northern Parade Junior School today, the Portsmouth MP saw first-hand with and Labour councillor Charlotte Gerada how the project works with children to get better at reading and writing (literacy), as well as finding a newfound passion for them outside of the classroom.

Workshops usually involve writing stories, diaries or film scripts, providing a fun and exciting way to encourage students to use their imagination. Each term, pupils will turn their writing work into a published book, film or even a radio show.

Pompey Pirates Literacy was first launched in September 2020 in the Charles Dickens Ward, where there is a high level of child poverty.

Government data shows only 67% of 10–11-year-olds in Portsmouth are meeting the expected reading level, 6% lower than the national average.

Despite this, Pompey Pirate Ship has become so popular that it is now already recruiting volunteers for a second ‘ship’, so it can continue to expand and reach more of the city’s children.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South and Shadow Schools Minister, Stephen Morgan, said:

“Pompey Pirate Ship has come on leaps and bounds since its launch back in 2020, and it’s fantastic to see the work it’s continuing to provide to Portsmouth children.

“It’s so important young people are able to enjoy and understand the power of reading and writing. Pompey Pirate Ship’s original approach to make learning fun is having an enormous impact on our city and I am so grateful to them for their efforts.

“I’m pleased to learn the scheme is looking for more volunteers as it continues to grow, so I highly recommend to those who may be interested to come down and get involved.

“Getting the next generation reading for the future is vital and I will continue to support projects working to secure the best outcomes for children in Portsmouth and across the country.”