Schoolreaders Delivers a Record Breaking One Million Reading Sessions
- eperks1
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
In the academic year 2024/25, for the first time ever, Schoolreaders volunteers delivered one million in-person reading sessions in a single year.
At the end of the academic year, these sessions were reaching more than 35,000 primary school children each week. With over 3,500 volunteers now supporting more than 35,000 children every week, the impact our volunteers are having on children’s reading ability, confidence and enjoyment across England is stronger than ever.
CEO Sally Wrampling said:
“Reaching one million reading sessions in a single academic year is an extraordinary achievement, made possible by our incredible volunteers who give their time selflessly to go into school and listen to children read. This one-to-one reading time with an adult is something many children sadly do not have access to, and the truth is that thousands of schools and their pupils are still in need of this extra support.”
Annual Impact Research, conducted with support from the Institute for Research in Education at the University of Bedford, shows that 94% of children supported by Schoolreaders volunteers increase in reading confidence, while 72% benefit from time spent with a positive role model. Schools consistently report that volunteers boost the reading culture across entire classrooms.
Among the thousands of volunteers generously giving their time is Jeanne Jones, recently named Schoolreaders’ first ever Volunteer of the Year. Jeanne reads weekly with Year 6 pupils at her local primary school on the Isle of Wight. Her encouragement has helped children grow in confidence, with one pupil writing: “You’ve helped me succeed with my reading skills… I’m going to high school and I’m going to miss you a lot.”
As the new school year begins, Schoolreaders is as grateful as ever for the incredible time given by our volunteers, so generously going into school to make a difference to children's literacy and life chances.
