Schoolreaders

Resource type: Reading support

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2

Region(s): England

Schoolreaders acts as a facilitator, matching volunteers from the local community with schools that are looking for volunteers to come in and listen to children read one-to-one.

Schoolreaders will actively recruit volunteers to meet a school’s particular requirements. Schools can request as many volunteers as they need and volunteers commit to working for a minimum of one year. All volunteers complete a short mandatory safeguarding programme and also have the option to do a reading best practice course prior to starting.

Once a school has accepted a volunteer, they are responsible for carrying out an Enhanced DBS check prior to the volunteer’s start in school. The school is also responsible for carrying out safeguarding training and for providing any additional guidance that the volunteer may require. Volunteers usually go in to school once a week for a couple of hours to work with children on a one-to-one basis.

Cost: Free (schools cover the costs of the volunteer’s enhanced DBS check).

About Schoolreaders: Schoolreaders was established in 2013. It currently has over 1200 volunteers and works with schools across England. More than 10% of primary schools in England are currently Schoolreader partner schools.

Literacy Hive Likes:

This is the only free one-to-one reading support scheme in England and Wales.
Schools can create a team of volunteers to work with children from a wide range of age groups and with a wide range of reading abilities.
Schools are allocated a contact at Schoolreaders central office to offer support and deal with any queries or situations that might arise.
In 2019, 92% of schools noted a positive impact on children’s reading confidence as a result of working with a Schoolreaders volunteer, and 95% of schools rated the skills and competency of volunteers as good or excellent.