Bookmark Reading Charity

Child Literacy

Currently, more than 1 in 4 children in England leave primary school unable to read well. Disadvantaged children are disproportionately affected, leaving primary school on average a year behind their peers. Furthermore, one in five children aged 5-8 in the UK don’t own a book of their own at home.

Reading is about so much more than just books, it’s a cornerstone to feeling safe, secure, and independent. Without the ability to read, we would not be able to succeed in school, secure employment, or even understand a medical prescription. 

Children who don't read well are more likely to drop out of school, become unemployed, or even have a shorter life expectancy.

Our Story

Bookmark Reading Charity was set up in 2018 with a very simple vision: we want every child to read.

Our mission is to improve children’s literacy by promoting a reading for pleasure culture in primary schools, with a focus on supporting children in the most disadvantaged communities.

We know that literacy is not a one size fits all and that there’s so much that goes into making a child a reader. The wrap-around support we provide to primary schools includes:

1) One-to-one six-week volunteer-led reading programmes – for children at risk of not meeting the expected standard in reading

2) Termly or one-off book packs – includes a diverse range of brand-new books to support the development of engaging reading spaces and strong reading cultures in schools

3) Termly literacy magazine ‘The Story Corner’ – delivered just ahead of the school holidays so that children have access to high quality reading materials at home

4) Providing additional support to teachers – through grants, literacy consultancy, support and training resources

Our work is made possible only by the generosity of our wonderful supporters. Thanks to a key coproate partner, our core overheads are covered and every gift we recieve goes directly to delivering our core programme or wider wrap around support for schools and pupils falling behind. Thank you for supporting our work and taking us a step closer to every child reading. With your support, we can change children's stories.