Schoolreaders is a national child literacy charity that recruits volunteers to go into local primary schools to listen to children read.
Schoolreaders needs volunteers to go into their local primary schools during the school day to listen to the children read individually. The volunteer needs to be able to commit to visiting the school once a week during term time for one hour or more for at least a year.
Volunteers get enormous pleasure from seeing the difference that a few hours of their time can make to a child’s reading ability, confidence and enjoyment.
Volunteers do not need any particular qualifications, but must be 18 or over, enjoy spending time with children, and have a good grasp of written and spoken English. Volunteers are asked to commit to a year of volunteering as this is where we see children make the most reading progress. Reading sessions take place weekly during term time although time of course can be taken off if needed for holidays or appointments. Schoolreaders is a free service for primary schools.
Schoolreaders' goal is for all children, regardless of background, to leave primary school to be able to read well so they can go on to access their secondary education fully and maximise their future life chances. 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.