St John’s primary school has the dubious distinction of being in the poorest constituency in England - Birmingham Ladywood. According to ratings based on a United Nations system, it outstrips well-known areas of deprivation such as Hackney in east London and is beaten by only three areas in Glasgow.

Sandra Bailey, headteacher at St John’s Ladywood C of E primary, says the same research found that literacy levels in the area were “ridiculously low”.

Drastic action was needed to help her pupils catch up. That has now arrived in the shape of a project called Birmingham REAL - Raising Expectations and Achievement in Literacy.

The initiative has been launched by the National Literary Association and the Birmingham Partnership for Change, an organisation aiming to improve education and employment prospects for African and Caribbean people in the city.

Birmingham REAL is running in two other primary schools and all three have a significant proportion of children from African and Caribbean backgrounds. In total, about 120 Year 5 pupils and their parents and carers, are involved.

The focal point of the project is the Psion 5mx handheld computer which retails from pound;270. Each pupil has been given one and they have caused quite a stir - and not just within the walls of St Johns. Parental interest in the project has been high as well.

St John’s 28 REAL pupils have had their Psions since the start of the year and have quickly learned their way around them. “They are fascinated by it and have been whizzing ahead in using it,” Sandra Bailey explains.

The aim of the project is to go much further than just improving literacy skills and it is hoped that pupils will become better independent learners:

“They are not very good at taking work home and bringing it back the next day.”

The technology is a way to get the children more interested in learning and not regard homework as a chore - pupils “love anything that is technical and it’s very hip to have a GameBoy” - so they are all proud to possess their own Psion.

Charlie Griffiths, director of the National Literacy Association, says the Psions are a way to encourage children to learn, particularly those who are disaffected. “We are convinced that most children will learn, but you have to find a way of engaging them,” she says. The Psions have been used in past projects to great effect: “Most of the time the children do not realise that they are learning. They just think it’s great fun.”

Children like the compact nature of the portables, which are less than an inch thick and weigh just 12 ounces. As well as costing far less than a laptop, they have better functions such as allowing users to draw on-screen, while an infra-red port allows messages or files to be beamed to other users.

The Psions are also being used in an NLA project in Kent, called Looking After Literacy, involving about 70 children aged 10 to 13, mostly living in foster homes. Pat Dickinson, project manager and the co-ordinator of looked-after children for the county, says the aim is to improve literacy skills for those who need help. Another hoped-for benefit is to prepare children better for exams and raise their achievement.

Children and teachers involved in both projects have received training in using their Psions, but Charlie Griffiths says the pupils have already found functions on them that the adults did not know existed.

Pupils will also be given books and Reading Adventure Passports and are being assessed so improvements can be evaluated when the project ends. The NLA hopes the experience gained can be used for larger projects. Using the Psions in class will not require a radical change of style. Charlie Griffiths envisages children taking them out along with their pens and books and teachers finding ways of using them.

National Literacy Association: www.nla.org.uk. Tel: 01202 484079Birmingham Partnership for Change: www.bpc1.demon.co.uk. Tel: 0121 200 3980Psion 5mx: www.series5mx.com Tel: 0870 242 3344