Leading national children’s literacy charity, Bookmark Reading, will launch its ‘Your Story Corner’ programme in Wolverhampton this month.

Primary schools in the city will be able to apply for the £2000 per-school donation of high-quality, diverse books, and teaching resources, as part of Bookmarks’ vision of helping all children to discover the joy of reading.

Bookmark identified Wolverhampton as an area for support due to the majority of schools qualifying for their eligibility criteria, being a higher than national average for child deprivation and number of children entitled to Free School Meals, and a lower than national average for Key Stage 2 reading results. 

More than 1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to read well and it is disadvantaged children who are disproportionately affected. This is particularly stark in Wolverhampton, with 82% of Wolverhampton children in poverty, living in households where no one is working. Research shows that quality early literacy development is central to sustainable schooling and long-term educational outcomes that will enable families to break the cycle of poverty. Bookmark works to deliver much needed books and resources to schools to improve reading cultures, as well as trains volunteers to deliver one-to-one reading sessions with children in person or online.

Emily Jack, CEO of Bookmark Reading Charity said: “We are really pleased to be coming to Wolverhampton and offer Your Story Corner to primary schools across the city. Children in deprived areas need our support more than ever and these Your Story Corner packs are a great first step towards breaking the cycle of children leaving primary school unable to read well. Illiteracy correlates to far higher unemployment, and this initiative is a mere step in the right direction on breaking this cycle for Wolverhampton’s next generation.”

Schools have up to the 30 April to apply. You can find out more about how to apply at bookmarkreading.org.