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There was a fascinating article in The Times last week (14.11.22) entitled 'Illiteracy is not inconvenient but deadly' by Tomiwa Owolade which sparked a number of further stories and letters to the paper. Tomiwa's article highlighted the fact that 'only half of children read daily outside school' whilst data from the Department of Education showed that only half (51%) of disadvantaged students have reached the expected level for reading this year - surely a symptom of the Covid lockdowns. The article argued for 'schools, families, local communities, the government and children themselves to work together to target this issue. More investment in school services and staff; a culture of reading encouraged across all areas of civil society; parents reading to their kids at home.' With 1 in 4 children leaving school unable to read to the required standard, at Schoolreaders we are passionate about doing what we can to help more children learn to read well. We are committed to reaching the most disadvantaged children to ensure they have the opportunity to improve their reading which is why we are working with more primary schools who have the greatest need for reading volunteers. Last year 53% of our volunteers were placed in schools which feature in the bottom 20% of multiple deprivation index. This approach is much needed. A headteacher at a primary school in an ex-mining village told us recently, "There is quite a high level of deprivation here. We have a mix of parents. Some of which are not able to support their children to read and others who just don’t know how to. It may be because they can’t read themselves. Other parents might be working every hour to bring money in so just don’t have the time to listen at home. Covid has also exacerbated the situation as obviously during the pandemic children couldn’t take books home and it was difficult teaching online. Reading virtually to an adult is very difficult. “In more affluent areas even just 2-4 miles down the road they don’t have the same problems. I know that parents there have to buy books on behalf of the school and are told they must read to their children five times a week. They are even asked to send money in for books and they do. Time and people power is key to reading development." We responded to Tomiwa's article with a letter by our Chair of Trustees, Jane Whitbread, who emphasised how Schoolreaders has been helping. She wrote to say 'This week 11,630 children will receive personal reading support from a Schoolreaders volunteer in 690 primary schools across the country. It is a free service for schools, because of the selfless work of our volunteers. 'They do so because they get so much out of it, as do those they read to as well as schools, local communities and society at large.' On the back of this, and a further article on the subject of illiteracy and what the public can do to help, we were delighted to be contacted by new volunteers from across the nation keen to volunteer to support the nation's primary school children. We now have volunteers in all but two of England's 48 counties. All our volunteering is conducted face-to-face in primary schools which we believe is the best method for securing improvements in reading and is echoed by our partner schools. In our last State of Reading Survey, 99% told us that in-person support over digital/remote support was the best way to support their pupils. If you are interested in volunteering with Schoolreaders to help us provide more weekly face-to-face reading sessions to primary school children who require the most support, we'd love to hear from you. Find out more here.

We are honoured to have been chosen as the festival charity of the eighth Dorchester Literary Festival which takes place between 15 and 22 October 2022 at various locations around Dorchester. With over 40 events, the aim of the festival is to provide stimulating talks on a whole range of books by an eclectic mix of authors, in a relaxed and beautiful setting. Events include royal biographer Hugo Vickers discussing his book on HRH the Duke of Kent, Ben Macintyre who will talk about his new book Colditz and Ray Mears who uses captivating storytelling to recount his travels in the natural world from his book We are Nature. They are joined by Justine Picardie who will debate the relationship between the visionary designer Christian Dior and his beloved younger sister Catherine following her research for her book Dior, popular writer Minette Walters who will discuss her Desert Island books and Jenny Tough who shares tales about her journey climbing mountain ranges on six continents from her book Solo. Most of the talks cost £10 and last about an hour. All bookings can be made via the Festival website. Schoolreaders founder Jane Whitbread attended the launch of the festival in the grand surroundings of the Duchess of Cornwall Inn in Poundbury, meeting renowned BBC journalist and host of BBC Radio’s From Our Own Correspondent Kate Adie who officially opened the event. As festival charity we hope to gain further recognition and support in and around Dorset. Schoolreaders volunteers have been active in the county for a number of years led by our superb county team volunteer ambassador, Rosie Cunningham. Festival Director Paul Atterbury will introduce Schoolreaders at the start of all the author talks. Jane Whitbread pictured with Festival Directors Paul Atterbury and Janet Gleeson. Schoolreaders is particularly looking for new volunteers across Dorset who can listen to children read at primary schools in Puddletown, Ferndown, Dorchester, Poole, Wareham, Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Weymouth, Bridport, Swanage, Bournemouth and Shaftesbury. Schoolreaders welcomes applications from anyone over 18 who can give a little time each week during term time. Find out more here. The Dorchester Literary Festival isn’t the only festival this autumn - also, coming up in November (17 - 20th) is the Cambridge Literary Festival. Schoolreaders will have a stand at the festival so do look out for us and come and say hello if you are visiting! For those in other parts of the United Kingdom, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Berwick, Braemar, Petworth, Harrogate, Cliveden, Tring and London are all hosting events featuring a range of popular and inspiring authors over the next few months. Perfect to visit for anyone keen to gain inspiration about new titles to add to their Autumn reading list!

Schoolreaders is a member of the Fair Education Alliance, a membership organisation aiming to tackle inequality in the education system and ensure no child is limited by their socio-economic background. Like the Alliance, we welcome the Government’s 2022 White Paper commitment to ensure at least 90% of pupils leave primary school able to read to the required standard by 2030. Currently, 1 in 4 (around 25% depending on the region) children leave school unable to read properly although the pandemic, and resultant school closures, have set some children back enormously, particularly younger children and those from more disadvantaged circumstances. Whilst studies are showing that many children have made great strides in catching up there is still a long way to go. To rectify this, like the Alliance, we believe in ‘strong foundations in reading and writing’ and are steadfast in our commitment to expand our network of Schoolreaders across England and Wales. We want to ensure that every child – especially those in greatest need – have access to the reading support they need. Just ten minutes a week with one of our volunteers has been shown to improve children’s reading fluency, comprehension and enjoyment. It also gives them valuable time with an adult who is not a teacher or parent which aids their social skills. The Fair Education Alliance reinforces this need saying children need to ‘engage with a wide range of adults including volunteers and businesses to support their literacy.’ With some children affected by the pandemic and others coping with Special Needs or language development difficulties, there is no one size fits all for children. Under 11s develop their reading skills at different speeds and tailored one-to-one support is ideal for developing their reading experience in their formative years. Schoolreaders goal is for all children, regardless of background, to leave primary school being able to read well so they can go on to access their secondary education fully and maximise their future life chances. Schoolreaders currently provides 10,000 children with a one to one reading support session every week. Over 12% of primary schools in England have registered to receive at least one Schoolreaders volunteer. Our goal for the 2022/3 academic year is to increase our reach, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged children, to provide 18,000 children with vital reading support every week. Reading is the gateway to learning; without good reading a child’s life opportunities are limited.

We've set off around the world on our Race for Reading virtual challenge, aiming to cover 25,000 miles (the distance around the world) between now and 19th June. It's a long, old way! We're delighted to see friends and supporters signing up and making their steps count this Spring whether they are covering the miles by swimming, dog walking, cycling, running or via a different activity! Lots of people are being very creative adding to our totaliser by racking up miles on a rowing machine (hard work on the arms!) or by climbing mountains. We are especially in awe of Sophie Neville (who played the wonderful Titty in the 1970s film classic, Swallows and Amazons, originally written by Arthur Ransome). She is doing a sponsored litter pick (and walk) along some of the shores of the UK, from the Solent to Pembrokshire. As she says in her blog, 'It’s great when things come together. I have a passion to promote literacy, a resolve to rid the coast of plastic pollution and a need to keep fit.' Race for Reading is the perfect challenge! Alongside, the usual, she's found balloons, barbed wire, bottles, cups, cable toys, dustbin lids, a broken wheelbarrow. On day 10 she's already up to 1,000 pieces of litter. Impressive for Sophie but shocking at the same time. She did find a fantastic treasure amongst the sand and shells though - a crisp £20 note which has been donated straight to the fundraising effort! (Thank you Sophie!). With all money raised via Race for Reading over the next few months, Schoolreaders will be able provide more volunteers to listen to children read in schools nationwide (especially those with the greatest need). A gift of £30 will fund the placement of a volunteer for a whole school year. If you'd like to add your miles and help us reach the magic 25,000 miles please do sign up today at www.RaceforReading.org.

With all official school restrictions lifting post-Covid, Schoolreaders are needed more than ever. Pre-pandemic, 1 in 4 children were leaving primary school each year unable to read to the required standard according to government figures. The pandemic's disruption has turned this shocking statistic into an urgent crisis particularly for the most disadvantaged children. Luckily, lots of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds have come forward keen to help, all with different motivations for getting involved with our charity. Read on to hear some of our Schoolreaders' stories... Meet John ... John 68, married with six grandchildren and three great grandchildren, from Chapeltown, Sheffield, says: “I saw a Schoolreaders poster up at the school my great grandsons go to just before the pandemic in 2019 and it immediately sparked my interest. I retired three years ago but I’m not one to sit around! “I’ve never worked with children directly but as a retired social worker in an adult mental health team, there is some cross over with my career so I felt confident this was a role I could do. "My partner school is just a few miles from my home and is in an area of significant deprivation. Despite this I think the general standard of reading amongst the pupils is very good. The school is very pro giving every child the opportunity to read one-to-one to me so I hear most pupils during the course of the week. “I have one boy who doesn’t read but I get him to look at a few words and letters and just follow his pace. Even just doing this I can see his literacy levels growing as the weeks fly by." Meet Alison ... A retired community and district nurse, Alison from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands says: “I wanted to be able to help today’s generation of children enjoy books . The pandemic really spurred me on as I was aware so many of those in primary school have been set back following the covid lockdowns, particularly in reading and it will take time for them to catch up. “Becoming a reading volunteer through Schoolreaders took out all the hassle of cold calling schools to see if they needed any reading help. I didn’t want to be a nuisance. “I was most definite I didn’t want a school in my own locality. I wanted to go somewhere where the kids aren’t reading well or don’t have stories read to them when they go home at night. “It’s early days as I’ve not been volunteering for that long, but I can already see the children coming on. As they have got to know me, they have grown in confidence and their personalities are shining through. I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying hearing them read!" Meet David ... David has been volunteering in a primary school near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk for the last three years. A semi-retired technical marketing and development director, he visits his school once or twice a week depending on the school’s requirements and listens to 9-11 year olds read: “A friend of mine – a teacher – lit the ember which inspired me to volunteer a few years ago. She said, ‘We need more people like you in schools to enthuse the children’. It got me thinking! I wasn’t sure about calling schools up out of the blue, but I did some googling and came across Schoolreaders. It turns out that people like me are wanted by Schoolreaders up and down the country to listen to children read! “I work alongside a really inspirational male teacher who commands great respect with the children. I see myself as a resource to be used by him as he sees fit but this usually involves listening to around ten pupils read each week. “I do my utmost to build a rapport with the pupils so that they feel at ease and look forward to our reading sessions. I tell them I’m ‘monstrously’ old which sometimes has them screaming with laughter and puts them at their ease! “I see my role as being there to probe their understanding of the words and stories they are reading – a focused crucible for all their questions, comprehension and speech. For example, we came across the word ‘lamplighters’ in one pupil’s book recently so I stopped the child, asked him if he knew what it meant and then gave a simple explanation. So, it’s not just reading the words, it’s understanding them in their context and it helps them to learn about the world. “Through being a Schoolreaders volunteer, I can do my bit to inspire the next generation. We live in a fascinating world and by reading more we can squeeze more excitement out of the world and fill in the spaces in children’s minds that no one has the time to fill." If you'd like to join our group of Schoolreaders, please get in touch today. Find out more and apply here.

HEAD RUNS 5KM A DAY FOR A YEAR TO HELP PRIMARY SCHOOL READING Headmaster David Griffiths of Old Buckenham Hall, an independent preparatory school in Suffolk, has run 5km every day of the last year raising over £2,000 for Schoolreaders! Heading out in all weathers including at 5:30am on Mondays before the start of the school day, David completed an impressive 1,141 miles over the course of the year, the equivalent of running from London to Barcelona! However, the dedicated Headmaster does have form having completed twelve marathons in twelve days – on stilts – a few years ago for a cancer charity! The amount David raised for Schoolreaders will transform the lives of more than 134 children by providing them with a weekly one-to-one reading support session for an entire year. David, explaining the reason why he picked the charity for his fundraising effort, said, “Children should be confident, inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge by the age of 11, if not sooner and any child who can’t read, won’t embody any of those three qualities. Literacy is everything. “I was struck by Schoolreaders work with primary schools and really believe in their mission. Children who can’t read don’t have a launch pad for success. Schoolreaders seeks to change that. If we can engage a local community to support a school and the children within it, great things can be achieved. “I also believe that schools need high quality reading programmes and a good stock of books of different genres. Curriculum time must be dedicated to reading. At Old Buckenham Hall we have a DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) slot every day for fifteen minutes and schools also need libraries and regular author visits to inspire pupils. None of it is hard, it just takes effort and creative thought.” On his 365 day running challenge, he concludes, “I’ve had some fantastic support from parents and hope that my efforts will have taught the children that taking on a fundraising activity is brilliant for the charity you chose but, through it, you can also develop a personal sense of achievement. I’m already pondering what my next challenge will be!” David, we wish you luck whatever you choose and thank you so much!!

We were delighted that Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, Ophelia Redpath, is one of two talented designers to create Christmas card artwork for us this year. We caught up with Ophelia to discuss the inspiration for her Christmas card and hear a little more about her life and work…. What was the inspiration behind your card, Reindeer? I wanted to create something imaginative for children hence the reindeer passing the window which is a little mysterious although the young boy is so absorbed in reading his book, he doesn’t see it! I love illustrations that use patterns like cross hatching which, although take ages to do, look fantastic in a design. Where will you be spending Christmas this year? I’ll be spending Christmas this year at my new home with hopefully 1-2 other families so there will be lots to do over the next two months! What has winning the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year award meant to you? It’s been a busy year since I won the Sky Arts award. It meant such a huge amount to me to win. In the midst of lockdown, the finalists were taken to an unknown destination which turned out to be the Hackney West reservoir near the Olympic Park and we had to set up our easels and interpret the view whilst being filmed by Sky! I found the whole experience really inspirational. Winning the award has been fantastic and I’ve been so busy ever since! It’s enabled me to take some time out from my day-to-day commissions to think about what I really want to paint. I’m inspired to create slightly surreal paintings which consider our place in the natural world. Ophelia with a copy of The Lemur's Tale, a children's picture book which she illustrated, and which was nominated for a Kate Greenaway medal. Why are illustrations so important in children's books? I think illustrations are key to first books. We start off as people without words and we see things very visually when we are small so of course illustrations are very strong for children. It helps them to imagine the story and gives them the skills to learn. I find it fascinating that in adulthood we are often either words or picture people. I have one friend who just can’t think without words but, for me, it’s visual identity that is so important. How can you make sense of the world without pictures?! What book do you remember reading as a child? I remember Harquin the Fox by John Bunningham. Harquin was told by his fox family never to go down to the valley or the gamekeeper would shoot him. One day, of course, he did! Luckily, he managed to outwit both the gamekeeper and the Hunt. As you would imagine, It was the beautiful illustrations of the book which bought the story alive to me!

There are some exciting new award-winning books for children to devour this summer following the announcement of the CILIP Carnegie Medal winners which is judged by librarians across the UK. First established back in the thirties, the awards recognise authors whose writing creates an outstanding reading experience whilst the coveted Kate Greenaway Medal, named after the popular nineteenth century artist, rewards outstanding illustrations in a children’s book. This year’s winners serve up a treat for children of all ages! US author Jason Reynolds won the Carnegie Medal for 'Look Both Ways', a collection of 10 standalone, yet intertwined, stories around independence on the journeys home from school. The book, aimed at 8-12 year olds, deals with issues as diverse as bereavement and bullying in an engaging and emotional way. It explores how everyone may seem to be having similar experiences whilst they walk home but, in reality, they can be very different depending on what is going on in children’s home lives. The Kate Greenaway medal was won by illustrator Sydney Smith for the second time for his impactful illustrations for 'Small in the City' which tells the story of how it feels to be small, lost and alone in an imposing, noisy, urban landscape. It’s an emotional journey for the child as he processes the loss of a friend and shares his advice for surviving in the city. This is a book for younger children, 4 - 7 to enjoy. The Awards also feature the Shadowers’ Choice awards voted for by young people. This year’s winners were 'Run, Rebel' by Manjeet Mann (12+) for the Carnegie Shadower medal and 'Starbird' by Sharon King-Chai (3-7 years) for the Kate Greenaway award. Find a list of all this year’s winning books here. If you missed our interview with Ellen Krajewski, Head Judge for this year's awards, click here to view our latest newsletter. .

Congratulations to M G Leonard who has always been one of our favourite writers and recently became a Schoolreaders Author Supporter. Her book, 'The Highland Falcon Thief', written with Sam Sedgman and published by Macmillan Children's Books, has just won the prestigious Book of the Year (Children's Fiction) award from the Bookseller. The book is the first in a a planned 'Adventure on Trains' series and has what the judges described as 'a glamorous, escapist holiday feel'. 'The Highland Falcon Thief' follows 11-year-old Hal as he accompanies his uncle Nat (a travel journalist, steam-train enthusiast and author) on the royal steam train’s last journey up the East coast of the UK mainland. The murder mystery is both educational and entertaining, and takes readers to exciting places on real-life train models and routes. 'A joyful reinvention of the classic train mystery format' thought one judge. PHOTO © M. G. Leonard Ltd

It's great to hear about some of the positive literacy initiatives that are gaining traction as we in the UK are lucky enough to begin our emergence from beneath the Covid clouds. Cressida Cowell, always a great advocate for the importance of reading, is using her position as Children's Laureate to amplify her call for better school libraries. Her flagship project during her two-year tenure as Laureate is called 'Life-changing Libraries', and it will see her join forces with the charity Book Trust to help schools develop a reading-for-pleasure culture. This will involve the building of new library spaces, staff training and, of course, the provision of lots of lovely books. The project will monitor the impact on pupils' engagement, attitudes and reading behaviour for a year and all involved are hoping for some transformational results. Cressida Cowell has backed up her activities by writing an open letter to Boris Johnson, asking him to make a significant increase in funding for school libraries. As she says, reading is 'just as important as sport - it's about children's life chances ... Children reading for joy is one of the two key factors in children's future economic success... they will also be healthier and happier. To find out more about the initiative click here .

We are so grateful to David Griffith, a Head Teacher from Suffolk, who has endured rain and freezing temperatures this winter to raise funds for Schoolreaders. As he says, 'I cannot over-state how important this life skill is and with the detrimental Covid impact on many children's education, this is a worthy cause at an important time'. David describes how a month of jogging has turned into a year-long feat of endurance: 'This started by one parent challenging me to run for one month for fun. Most of me enjoyed it - not my Achilles - so it became an informal run for 100 days'. Now David has decided to take things even further and will be running for an entire year. Barring illness and injury, he'll complete his 1,825 kilometres (that's 1,135 miles) on 30th September this year. At the time of writing in April 2021, David is more than half way through the challenge; he has covered more than 570 miles, and has already raised more than £1,250. His total mileage will equate to running from his home near Bury St Edmunds to Rome, so by his calculations he is already as far as Geneva. Good luck for the next stretch from all at Schoolreaders. If you would like to support David, you can find his JustGiving page here.

On 31st May, Tony Wildman, President of the Rotary Club of Bedford Castle, will do a sponsored walk to support children's reading. But this will be a walk like no other as Tony has devised a complex route around the centre of his (and Schoolreaders') home town of Bedford. During the course of the walk he'll criss-cross the Embankment area, making sure that he uses the several foot and road bridges to cross our local river, the Great Ouse, 100 times. Tony's total distance will be somewhere around 12.5 miles, but this will be a feat of planning as much as stamina. If you'd like to find out more or to donate, please visit Tony's Virgin Money Giving page by clicking here. All at Schoolreaders send Tony very best wishes and thank him for attempting this fabulous feat on our behalf.