Turn on the Subtitles

by Startacus Admin

"If you want to teach a nation to read: Just turn on the subtitles". This simple advice might just help make kids become proficient readers...
Oli Barrett MBE, amongst many other things, co-founded StartUp Britain, Tenner, and social innovation agency Cospa. Tenner, for example (now run by Young Enterprise), has challenged over 250,000 school pupils to see what they can achieve in one month, starting with £10. Not that this article is about Oli Barrett, but just to make the point, that we take note of what he does and says about issues focused around employability, startups and education... Step forward his recent Linkedin article, TOTS (Turn on the Subtitles), which highlights that '28% of all UK children are not meeting the levels required to be a proficient reader. But more worryingly that number rises to 45% if you focus on just the poorer households...'
But this simple life-hack apparently can make a potential big difference...
If you turn on the subtitles for children's’ TV programmes (particularly between the ages of 6 and 10) it DOUBLES their chance of becoming a proficient reader.
"If you want to teach a nation to read: Just turn on the subtitles"
A few months ago Oli and fellow campaigner Henry Warren, discovered the work of an inspirational professional from Berkeley University, Brij Kothari, who said “If you want to teach a nation to read: Just turn on the subtitles"
Apparently there's mountains of data and studies to back all this up, and folk like Bill Clinton, Gordon Brown and Prof Robert Vanderplank, have all highlighted the very thing.
Oli checked it out with the UK National Literacy Trust and based on the data, they came back and said they "would absolutely support automatic same-language subtitling on children’s TV programmes..."
So there you have it. Make sure to read Oli's full article and all his accredited sources, and feel free to share this article too. Of course, make your own mind up too.
We look forward to reading where the TOTS campaign goes next... Cheers Oli.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Got a business in the manufacturing sector? These tips on how you can reduce energy costs while being more sustainable are well worth a read...

Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.

Nassia Skoulikariti, Director of IoT Programmes, Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some insights on how IoT is having a significant impact on all our lives.

Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, discusses how introducing a globalized curriculum will help better prepare students.

SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.

41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.

Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.

Thingtrax Secures £4.3M to Empower Manufacturers to Build the Factories of the Future

A measure of inflation relief for small firms sees transport costs fall but service price increases remain elevated

Bedfordshire-based HR tech startup HR DataHub has built a range of tools for HR departments
Published on: 14th August 2018
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- SureIn Secures €4M to Close the SMB Insurance Gap 15th Aug 2023 Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
- SuperFi raises $1M pre-seed funding round 28th Jul 2023 SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
- Startups rely on AI & sustainability for new partnerships 27th Jul 2023 41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
- Another Round closes £300k Seed round to revolutionise personal training 21st Jul 2023 Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.