Schools awarded £46k to improve pupils’ literacy
INVESTMENT: Oldfleet Primary School enjoys a visit by author Steve Webb to celebrate the arrival of 200 new books as part of Bookmark Reading Charity’s Your Story Corner Programme
By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor
Primary schools in Hull have been awarded a literacy boost for their pupils.
Bookmark Reading Charity is investing £46,000 across 23 schools in Hull, with the city becoming the latest recipient of the charity’s Your Story Corner Programme.
The programme offers schools in specific areas the opportunity to improve their whole-school reading culture and embed reading for pleasure in the lives of their pupils.
Each school is entitled to 200 new, high-quality books suitable for children aged 4 -10, exclusive access for teachers to Reading for Pleasure training, CPD and further development opportunities, annual subscription to Bookmark Reading Charity’s termly children’s magazine The Story Corner, and a host of other benefits designed to foster a love of reading that extends beyond the pages of the resources supplied.
One in four children in England leave primary school unable to read well. This disproportionately impacts children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are leaving primary school on average a year behind their peers.
The Education Endowment Fund reports that only ten per cent of these children go on to pass English and Maths GCSE. Bookmark Reading Charity’s vision is to ensure every child can read, empowering them with the skills they need in school and beyond through a variety of literacy programmes.
The areas of Bookmark Reading Charity’s focus are determined by higher-than-national-average child deprivation statistics, and lower Key Stage 2 reading results.
In Hull, 33 per cent of children experience higher levels of deprivation, compared to a national average of 20 per cent. Key Stage 2 pupils in the city are more likely to struggle with reading than the national average.
The impact of the Your Story Corner Programme in other areas such as Birmingham, Rochdale, Sheffield and Plymouth has been significant:
74 per cent of partner schools said the programme made a positive difference to how often children read at school
99 per cent reported a positive difference to reading enjoyment
69 per cent saw a positive contribution to their whole-school reading culture.
Kerry Garner, assistant headteacher at Oldfleet Primary School, which is benefitting from Bookmark Reading Charity’s support, hopes her pupils will enjoy similar results.
“We are excited to welcome Bookmark Reading Charity’s Your Story Corner Programme to our school, and anticipate it will have a very positive effect on our pupils,” she said.
“We encourage all our children to have high aspirations for their future, and know that improving their literacy levels and nurturing a love of reading is an integral part of their development.”
Emily Jack, CEO of Bookmark Reading Charity, said: “We are thrilled to bring our Your Story Corner Programme to a new area of the country.
“We hope our partnerships with schools in Hull mean these children discover the joy of reading for pleasure. This is so crucial to instil at a young age. Our goal is to set children up on a path for future success, and we are proud to play a small part in achieving that.”
To learn more about programmes, grants, resources and volunteering opportunities with Bookmark Reading Charity, visit www.BookmarkReading.org