Some children leave primary school for year 7 without being fluent readers. The charity Schoolreaders recruits adults to volunteer their time in primary schools to read with pupils. Suzanne O’Connell finds out more
Reading support: The charity Schoolreaders places volunteers in school to read with pupils - Adobe Stock

The latest key stage 2 assessment data shows that in 2024 74% of pupils met the expected standard in reading (DfE, 2024).

Meanwhile, the National Literacy Trust has found that enjoyment of reading is at its lowest ebb since 2005. At primary age, it finds that 67% of children aged 5 to 8 and 52% of those aged 8 to 11 say they enjoy reading in their spare time (Clark et al, 2024).

The charity Schoolreaders has been addressing these challenges for more than 10 years. Founded by Jane Whitbread, Schoolreaders matches volunteers to local primary schools and in the academic year 2023/24 more than 24,000 children were receiving one-to-one reading support thanks to the scheme.

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