1 in 4 children are leaving primary school not meeting the expected reading standard. The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their non-disadvantaged peers increased to its widest level in a decade in 2022. Almost one million children aged 5-18 don’t have a single book of their own at home, and disadvantaged children are twice as likely to not have books of their own (NLT). Children who don’t read well by age 7 are six times more likely to drop out of school (CfEY).

Champions for Children funding could enable Bookmark to provide holistic literacy support to pupils across London, including in boroughs with high child poverty such as Tower Hamlets and Newham. This includes: • 1:1 volunteer-led reading programmes for children at risk of not meeting the expected standard • Termly book packs to enhance in-school reading and help build strong reading cultures • Termly literacy magazines increasing pupils access to high quality reading materials at home