In the past, I've had experience with adults who couldn't read and know what painful limitations the lack of this skill places upon their lives in so many ways that literate people take for granted. Writing letters and greeting cards, dealing with official paperwork, understanding instructions, following travel indications, obtaining satisfying jobs etc. all create impossible hardships to someone who cannot read. I've had the pleasure of helping a number of people in such a situation, and was surprised at the speed with which they grasped the use of phonics to build words. The confidence gained from this simple self-help ability, and lots of encouragement, led quite quickly to reading simple children's books. One man wept when he'd achieved this stage and went on to more advanced books for pleasure. He looked forward to travelling out of his immediate area, which was something he'd avoided in the past.

I'm very happy to have the opportunity of helping children who might otherwise have to face such a life of restriction, and I enjoy it immensely. It seems to me that a lot of the difficulty with reading stems from a lack of confidence in general. The joy expressed by a child when he moves up a stage in his reading is very touching. One poor lad always put his book under his jumper so no one could see which stage he was at. It occurred to me then that Yoga might help.

I'm a qualified Yoga instructor. Having taught, over many years, hundreds of adults this life skill, I have noticed the change in many seemingly shy or timid people. The children I deal with are Stage 2, six and seven year olds, quite a number of whom have problems with reading. With the agreement of the Class teacher (Miss Debbie Aldridge), a half-hour Yoga session was set up for Thursday mornings during PE time. This has been going for three years now and the children love it. Miss Aldridge has noticed that the class is much calmer and concentrate better after their Yoga session, and that shyer children seem more able to put themselves forward.

As in every school, there are a number of pupils who make life difficult for themselves and their teachers. Personally, I'm inclined to think that a lot of bad behaviour in children stems from lack of self-confidence and a need for attention, which they possibly do not get at home. In a conversation with the Headmaster of St Cadoc's (Mr. Stephen Downs), I mentioned this and asked if he would consider an experiment along the lines of a small group of such children taking a half hour session of Yoga once a week. He put this idea to his staff and the general consensus was one of agreement. It can, of course, only work if the child wants to do Yoga, rather than being made to. Any child who is reluctant can opt out without repercussions. The result remains to be seen.

Mrs Shirley Kemp, Cardiff Schools Volunteer