CHILDREN’S literacy charity Bookmark has called for Coventry reading volunteers to give up 30 minutes two days a week helping youngsters with their reading skills.
More than 400 children in England aged between five and nine are on the waiting list for a reading volunteer, with many at risk of falling behind if they don’t receive support.
Many of the pupils the charity supports speak English as a second language, with nearly half recognised as disadvantaged.
These factors have led to them fearing the risk of childhood illiteracy widening.
Before the pandemic, 380,000 British children said they did not own any books, and with the cost-of-living crisis impacting people’s finances, Bookmark believes this figure will go up. In addition, one in six adults living in England struggles with basic reading and 7.1million people have ‘poor literacy skills’.
Bookmark has designed a programme for volunteers to book 30-minute sessions twice a week around their other commitments.
Bookmark CEO Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler said: “We know that poor literacy is devastating for children and can affect their mental well-being which can extend into adulthood. Reading is such a vital life skill and enjoyment of reading is one of the biggest indicators of future success.
“Being able to read well helps someone manage everyday life and having the ability to navigate words is vital, and it starts in childhood.”
For more details, visit the website at bookmarkreading.org/volunteer
