About Schoolreaders

We want every child to read well.  

1 in 4 children leave primary school every year unable to read properly. Furthermore, the reading levels of the youngest and most disadvantaged children have worsened following the disruption to education caused by the Covid pandemic. 

Schoolreaders is a children’s literacy charity which provides volunteers to listen to children read every week in primary schools nationwide, focusing on schools with the greatest need.  

Sadly, not all children have the opportunity to read at home and some require additional, face-to-face reading support. A child who is unable to read well on leaving primary school can’t fully access their secondary school education, which can have life-long consequences. 

95% of children supported regularly by a Schoolreaders volunteer improves their reading age. The Schoolreaders model has been proven to improve children’s reading fluency, confidence and enjoyment.  

By sharing their love of reading, Schoolreaders volunteers build a child’s reading and social skills which will benefit them for life. 

Help Schoolreaders change a child’s life story today. 

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Why Schoolreaders is urgently needed:

  1. Inequalities in literacy levels have widened further since the pandemic. 6–7-year-old disadvantaged pupils are 6 months behind their peers, and 7-8 year olds are 9 months behind.2
  2. One in seven adults (7.1 million people) are functionally illiterate and are unable to fill in a job application form, read a medicine label or understand written instructions. This can affect their mental health, contribute to unemployment, homelessness and crime – 57% of UK prisoners have reading ages of 11 or under.3
  3. Illiteracy costs the UK economy approximately £20 billion every year.4
  4. 1 in 7 primary schools in England have registered with Schoolreaders requesting volunteers to help their pupils catch up on vital reading skills.