Mind the gap
Published
It’s the National Year of Reading and the Bookmark Reading Charity is calling for urgent action to ensure that the pleasure of reading is available to all. New research commissioned by the charity paints a stark picture of England’s literacy challenge, revealing that:
• 1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to read well.
• 1 in 8 children aged 5–8 don’t own a book at home.
• Only 1 in 10 children who fall behind in reading at primary school go on to pass English and maths at GCSE.
In schools, budget cuts are at their highest levels since 2017 and 1 in 7 primary schools lacks a library, rising to 1 in 6 in disadvantaged areas.
The Bookmark Reading Charity is calling for volunteers nationally to join its one-to-one reading programme, Mind The Gap, where adults dedicate just one hour a week to read online with a child who is falling behind.
The programme provides each child with two, 30-minute sessions, twice a week, with volunteers mostly online, making it easy for them to complete sessions from anywhere. The results of this programme speak for themselves: last academic year, 86 per cent of teachers noticed an increase in children’s reading skills. Nearly every child (94 per cent) who has taken part in one of Bookmark’s programmes has progressed at or above the rate expected for their age.
To meet the current demand from partner schools, Bookmark Reading Charity needs to increase its active volunteer base by 25 per cent. Bookmark hopes that Mind The Gap will motivate more volunteers to step forward and give a child the reading support they need.
You can sign up and get more information at bookmarkreading.org/closethegap
