HOUNSLOW Education Business Partnership, based at GlaxoSmithKline's Brentford Headquarters, has been enlisting the help of local businesses to play an active role in raising achievement in Hounslow primary schools.

Volunteers from businesses have been visiting local schools on a regular basis to hear a group of children read or work with them on activities promoting reading.

Two companies are currently working on the scheme - CISCO has had volunteers working on the scheme since last summer and has currently eight volunteers still working with five schools in the Feltham area: Sparrow Farm Infants, Edward Pauling Junior, Feltham Hill Junior, Bedfont Infant and Southville Infants.

Quest Diagnostics, based in both Heston and Hounslow central, has more recently been linked with Berkeley Primary and Alexandra Infants respectively.

It is not only the individual employees who commit to regularly supporting pupils, the companies themselves allow their employees an additional half hour for their lunch break on their committed day.

All volunteers are fully inducted and have to undergo full police checks and great care is taken in school to protect both pupils and volunteers from being placed in vulnerable situations.

A spokesman for the partnership said: After perhaps an initial wariness, employees and pupils all enjoy this rather special relationship. Business support such as this allows pupils to become aware of the world of work' from a new perspective as most support such as this comes from parents or retired members of the community.

Everybody is a winner. Employees learn new skills, pupils have an adult mentor to take a special interest in their reading development and broaden their horizons and teaching staff appreciate the additional reading practice given to the children.''

Tina Alweih, the Quest Diagnostics co-ordinator and a volunteer herself, said: It is very rewarding. We all feel that we are helping to build the workforce for the future and at the same time gaining self satisfaction seeing the smiles on the childrens' faces when we turn up at class.''

Volunteers are asked to commit to a term at a time but, although some are lost to commitments at work, most continue again and again for another term.

One volunteer from CISCO, Gemma Smith, who is linked to Edward Pauling Junior School, enjoys her role so much that she has volunteered to go on a class outing in the summer using a day of her holiday allowance.

The Education Business Partnership is always on the lookout for new companies and volunteers and can be contacted on 020 8047 3352.