With one in four children leaving primary school below the expected reading standard, a charity providing crucial reading support in schools has expanded its reach to every county in England.
Schoolreaders provides one-to-one reading sessions with more than 30,000 children each week, across the nation, connecting volunteers with primary schools. It is facing increased demand for its services and has scaled up to tackle the nation’s reading crisis.
With one in five primary schools in England now registered with Schoolreaders, the charity is urgently seeking more volunteer readers.
Outlining the need for volunteers, the charity has matched 2,195 new volunteers with 1,345 schools over the past academic year, with 54% of volunteers being placed in the most disadvantaged areas.
Sally Wrampling, Chief Executive Officer of Schoolreaders, said: “Every child deserves the chance to learn to read well. Without reading, learning opportunities are denied.
“A quarter of children are leaving primary school not reading to the expected standard. That’s something we’re here to change.
“Now that Schoolreaders is operating in every county in England, even more children will have access to this vital support, but we need more volunteers to help us drive the change we’re seeking.”
Many children are currently failing to reach required reading standards because of insufficient one to one reading time with adults. Less than a third of children have a bedtime story read with them each night.
Child illiteracy leads to problems in adulthood – one in seven adults are functionally illiterate and may struggle to read a medicine packet, bus timetables or fill in job applications.
Poor Literacy is also a major factor behind many societal problems, such as homelessness, poor physical and mental health, and even criminality.
By helping children develop a love of reading, Schoolreaders aims to improve literacy levels and give more children the skills they need for a brighter future, especially for those in disadvantaged areas.
Ms Kenreela Rowlands, Assistant Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Greenbank Primary School, said: “We could not have envisaged the positive impact Schoolreaders would have had on our pupils. Our lowest achieving 20% of pupils have now developed a love of reading.”
Schoolreaders volunteers commit to a minimum of 12 months, to listen to children read, so they can form relationships with pupils, be a positive role model and become a valued member of the school community. A single volunteer will listen to 10 children read per visit.
Research by Schoolreaders reveals that 94% of children increased reading confidence following volunteer reading sessions and 72% benefited from spending time with a positive role model.
Schools reporting on reading age improvement over three terms noted that 100% of children improved their reading age above the expected level of progress. Plus, 99% would agree Schoolreaders volunteers enhance the reading culture of their school.
Schoolreaders recruits, places and supports volunteers to provide weekly one-to-one reading sessions in primary schools.
To find out more about volunteering with Schoolreaders visit: https://www.schoolreaders.org/volunteer
