1 in 4 children in England don’t reach the expected reading level by age 11—rising to 38% for disadvantaged children. This limits their ability to access secondary education and impacts their future. Schoolreaders provides volunteers to help children learn to read and change their life chances.
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Without good literacy, children struggle to access their secondary education, risking functional illiteracy - affecting 1 in 7 adults in England, which has lifelong consequences. Poor literacy limits employment opportunities and lifelong earning potential. It is also linked to homelessness, poor health, and crime; over half of prisoners read below the level expected of an 11-year-old. Many children fall behind simply because they lack one-to-one reading time with an adult.
Schoolreaders recruits, trains, and supports volunteers to give children weekly one-to-one reading support in primary schools for at least a year. We focus on the most disadvantaged areas and are the only nationwide charity offering this service free to schools. Last year, nearly half the children we supported were in receipt of pupil premium compared to the national average figure of 27%.