A free course, run by the Workers' Educational Association, has benefited parents and other volunteers who help in classrooms of schools around Wootton Bassett.

About a dozen people took part in 11 weekly sessions from 9.30am to 2.30pm with tutor Ros Barclay, at Wootton Bassett Infant School.

"The course was free, and we found it very valuable," said Cathy Emms.

"It covered everything we need to know.

"We were shown the correct way to help children with reading and writing, and we learned about Government strategies on numeracy and literacy.

"We were introduced to the theory relevant to many aspects of school life, things about which volunteers might otherwise be unaware. It was a very good course."