Boosting learning outcomes in Ashburton

With funds provided by the Heartland Trust, Heartland Bank is proud to support the Ashburton Learning Centre in its delivery of Boost – a child literacy programme helping Ashburton primary school children mostly aged 7-9 who are struggling with their reading and writing.

Heartland has a rich history in Ashburton, dating back to 1875 when Heartland’s predecessor, the Ashburton Permanent Building & Investment Society, was established. Ashburton remains the location of one of Heartland’s main offices. To honour this history and connection, the Heartland Trust is delighted to provide funding to the Ashburton community.

Designed to meet the needs of individual students and the wider school community, Boost uses educational best practices to offer one-on-one tutoring twice a week to children struggling with their reading and writing. Over a 30-week period, 48 dedicated volunteer tutors provide invaluable tuition to 200 tamariki (children) in the Mid-Canterbury region.

The Ashburton Learning Centre has been administering Boost for 11 years. In that time, it has grown from supporting three Ashburton schools to now 19 schools in the Ashburton District.

Students participating in the programme can see the growth in themselves. They have a greater sense of confidence in their spelling, reading, writing, and overall understanding and comprehension of content taught in the classroom.

Here’s what some of the students had to say about their new learning:

“I can now write my letters correctly. I am proud of my reading and thinking if it is a ‘b’ or ‘d’. I can fix up my mistakes.”

“I liked working on the computer. I am proud of my times in speed reading. I have learned a lot and now handwriting is easy.”

“It’s fun going to Boost, and we get to learn lots of things with our tutor. I couldn’t spell some words and now I can.”

Investing in the next generation

The advancement of learning is a key funding pillar for the Heartland Trust. Funding activities that support the learning outcomes of tamariki and rangatahi enables Heartland to actively invest in the next generation. We’re proud to do so in Ashburton through the Boost programme.

For more information about the Heartland Trust visit heartland.co.nz/about-us/sponsorship