The children of Masiphumelele are generally not well prepared for learning how to read and write when they start formal schooling; their parents want to help, but often do not know how.
The children’s first school is the township school, where they are taught in their mother tongue, Xhosa, for the first three years. After that, they have to make the switch-over to English. The children who attend schools outside Masiphumelele face the task of learning to read and write in English, their second language, right from the start.
Help is needed! And it comes in the form of a wonderfully effective English literacy and language programme from Wordworks SA – the Early Literacy Programme. This highly effective and established programme helps establish good English language and literacy skills in our youngest students.