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Chapter One Online Reading Volunteers

Beneficiaries

  • Children / Young People

    5-7-year-olds in regions of deprivation across the UK: Bradford, Cumbria, Doncaster, East Sussex, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London (Barnet, Camden, Haringey, Islington, Newham and Tower Hamlets), Manchester, Middlesbrough, Peterborough, Birmingham.

  • Number of beneficiaries - 4000

    This is our target for the academic year 2025/6.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Our Online Reading Volunteer programme connects corporate volunteers with struggling young readers in the classroom. Each volunteer spends 30 minutes reading online with the same child each week for a whole school year. Over time, this 1:1 support helps transform each child’s reading confidence and ability. Our corporate partners sponsor teams of ten volunteers to read with children in regions of deprivation across the UK. We provide training, DBS checks, impact data and volunteer support.

BENEFICIARIES REACHED ANNUALLY

4000

This is our target for the academic year 2025/6

SIZE OF PROJECT PER ANNUM

£691,000.00

TIMELINE

Oct 2025 - Jul 2026

Project Outcome Targets

We want to create a world where all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive.

We want to scale-up our programme across the UK to help all struggilng young readers.

We want each child taking part to develop a love of reading.

Project Activities

  • We match corporate volunteers with 5-7-year-olds across the UK for weekly online reading sessions.

  • We provide each participating class with a laptop and headset.

  • We organise training and enhanced DBS checks for each volunteer.

  • We provide impact data for each corporate partner on volunteering hours and the children's progress

  • We support the teachers throughout the year.

Resources Needed For The Project

Resource Description Quantity needed When needed How this donation supports the project (Enabling Actions or KPIs)
NON-SKILLED VOLUNTEERING Teams of 10 colleagues read online with children for just 30 minutes weekly throughout the school year. The minimum number of volunteers from each corporate partner is 10 to form one team. Flexible Volunteers are essential to support the reading skills of the disadvantaged children we support.
MONEY A donation of £3500 is needed to support each team of 10 reading volunteers for the school year. Each team of 10 volunteers needs to be supported by a donation of £3500 Flexible The donation supports the delivery of the project: laptops/headphones, platform development, volunteer DBS and support
Project details
GEOGRAPHIC REACH

Scotland: Glasgow

Scotland: Edinburgh

England: Cumbria

England: West Yorkshire

England: South Yorkshire

England: East Yorkshire

England: West Midlands

England: Greater Manchester

England: Greater London

England: Cambridgeshire

England: East Sussex

England: Suffolk

IMPACT REPORTING

Bi-annually

March 2021

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
UN SDG 4: Quality Education UN SDG 10: Reduced Inequality UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth UN SDG 1: No Poverty
How we monitor the quality and results of our work

We collect data and feedback from the teachers and volunteers and from our platform.

Frameworks

Support for local community projects through volunteering

Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering

Funding impactful volunteering and development of social and human capital in local places

WHO IS ALREADY FUNDING THE PROJECT?

Over 140 corporate partners, plus trusts and foundations.

Each corporate partner makes a financial contribution towards the costs of the programme.