Children across Scotland will be gifted a quarter of a million books and counting activities as part of the Read Write Count with the First Minister programme.
Around 248,000 books will be given to pupils in primary two and three this year as part of a programme underlining the First Minster’s personal commitment to supporting child literacy and numeracy learning across the country.
Pupils in Gaelic Medium Education receive bags with copies of the books in Gaelic and English accounting for 8,000 books in 2,000 bilingual bags.
Read Write Count with the First Minister aims to build parents’ confidence, and encourage families to include easy and fun reading, writing and counting activities in their everyday lives.
The programme received Scottish Government funding of £932,132 for 2023-24.
First Minister Humza Yousaf visited Craigentinny Primary School in Edinburgh to gift pupils with bags to mark Book Week Scotland.
The First Minister said: “I want to encourage all children to enjoy reading, writing, and counting. Reading for pleasure is crucial in developing children’s literacy skills, and our funded national programmes such as Read Write Count with the First Minister are about supporting and enhancing a love of reading from an early age.
“When I was young my favourite books were the ones that were fun and that taught me something new. A good story, or a good book, can open new worlds to us. Reading can even help us if we feel sad, or if we’re unsure about something, and want to learn more about it.
“The Read Write Count with the First Minister programme is a key part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to raising attainment by building parents’ confidence and encouraging families to include fun reading, writing and counting activities in their everyday lives.”
Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Book Trust Marc Lambert said: “Gifting books to children through the Bookbug and Read Write Count with First Minister programmes is one of the highlights of Book Week Scotland each year. For many children in Scotland, the only books they have at home are the ones they are given by Scottish Book Trust.
“Our Bookbug and Read Write Count bags reach children from birth up to Primary 3, and we know they can make a big impact to children’s lives. We’re grateful to the First Minister for joining us at Craigentinny Primary School as the pupils and their families were gifted the bags.”
Book Week Scotland has opened applications for Pitch It!, which lets community groups, organisations or individuals pitch to host an event with a brilliant writer. We’ll provide up to £500 to help with event costs for the successful pitches, as well as tailored support to help make your event the best it can be.
This year’s Pitch It! line-up comprises:
· Kiran Millwood Hargrave, for an event on Friday 17 November
Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award-winning poet, playwright, and bestselling novelist writing for both children and adults. Her books include The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies. Kiran is particularly interested in events relating to the environment, conservation and nature.
· Nooruddean Choudry, for an event on Saturday 18 November
Nooruddean Choudry, also known as @BeardedGenius, is best known for his football writing. His new book Inshallah United is a humorous look at faith, football and growing up in a working-class immigrant family.
Book Week Scotland (13–19 November 2023) is a week-long celebration of books and reading, with hundreds of events taking place online and in communities all over Scotland. This year’s theme is ‘adventure’.
The deadline to pitch your event by is Monday 25 September at midday, and further info and the application form can be found at bookweekscotland.com.
More pupils to benefit from ‘transformative’ programme
The First Minister has encouraged every school in Scotland to join Reading Schools, a Scottish Government-funded programme that supports attainment and benefits pupils’ health and wellbeing.
So far, 371 schools have been awarded Reading Schools accreditation and 511 more have joined the programme – which independent evaluation has shown leads to more pupils reading for pleasure and can help to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap.
It is hoped that every school in Scotland will be a Reading School within three to five years.
In addition to Reading Schools, the First Minister will underline his personal commitment to promoting both literacy and numeracy by supporting the ‘Read Write Count with the First Minister’ programme, which will provide books and literacy materials to children when it opens in the autumn.
The First Minister and the Education Secretary heard about the benefits of Reading Schools during a visit to Claypotts Castle Primary School in Dundee.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I am pleased that the hugely successful First Minister’s Reading Challenge has now evolved into a reading support programme that will benefit even more pupils, and involves the whole school community.
“We know that reading can support improved attainment across the curriculum and that embedding a reading culture in schools can open the door to a lifelong love of books.
“I look forward to working with the Scottish Book Trust and schools across the country on both Reading Schools and the refreshed Read Write Count with the First Minister set to launch in the autumn. These fantastic programmes will support children in improving both literacy and numeracy across Scotland.”
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Evaluation has shown the clear benefits of Reading Schools to pupils and school staff and I look forward to seeing the impact of this next phase in our work with the Scottish Book Trust.
“I would encourage every school in Scotland to join the programme so that pupils can enjoy all of the positive impacts that reading brings.”
Claypotts Castle Primary School head teacher Nicky Murray said: “The Reading Schools award has allowed us to focus our effort, energy and enthusiasm and protect time within our school improvement agenda to drive forward a culture of reading in our school.
“We have already awarded over 250 certificates to children this year to celebrate their reading achievements and the feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The Reading Schools award has given us the opportunity to align our vision of a community and school improvement focus to extend the life and ethos of the school into every home in our local community.”
Marc Lambert , CEO of the Scottish Book Trust, which delivers the Reading Schools programme, said: “We look forward to supporting even more schools on their Reading Schools journey in the years ahead.
“Reading Schools is already having a transformative effect in schools, both on young people and learning professionals, as well as the wider school community.
“We are delighted that the First Minister and Scottish Government continue to show their commitment to literacy and numeracy, benefitting pupils across all ages and stages of their education.”
While reading was the only core subject which saw attainment levels improve in 2022, (at Key Stage 2, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, up from 73% in 2019. 28% of pupils reached the higher standard in reading, up from 27% in 2019[2]), the National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey shows that the number of children who say they enjoy it is in serious decline.
Reading for pleasure is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.
However, reading for pleasure is at its lowest levels in 18 years; fewer than one in two (47.8%) children aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in 2022, the lowest level since 2005. This is even lower for children growing up in poverty; fewer children and young people who receive Free School Meals (FSMs) said they enjoyed reading compared with their peers who do not receive FSMs (43.8% vs. 48.8%). The percentage-point-gap between these groups has more than doubled from 2.1pp to 5pp, between 2020 and 2022.
The cost of living is putting the biggest squeeze on family budgets in years and creating further barriers to reading for pleasure, with almost two thirds (64%) of parents saying they currently have less money to spend on books for their children than before. 500,000 (1 in 15; 6.5%) children in England aged 8 – 18 say they don’t own a single book, which rises to one in 10 (9.7%) for those eligible for Free School Meals. Over one in five (22.4%) pupils receiving free school meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day book token was the first book of their own.
This year, the charity World Book Day has focused on a large number of initiatives and provided guidance to ensure anyone can take part and experience the joy and inspiration of reading, regardless of household income.
This includes ideas for no or low-cost costumes or costume swaps, book swaps or other free activities in school or community groups. There is also advice on how to fundraise more inclusively, focusing more on reading over other aspects such as dressing up.
Fewer boys than girls said they enjoyed reading (45.6% vs. 54.9%) and fewer than 3 in 10 (28.0%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they read daily, the second-lowest level since the National Literacy Trust survey began. Boys who receive Free School Meals had the lowest levels of reading enjoyment, with just 2 in 5 (39.8%) enjoying reading; a drop of 6.5 per cent since 2020.
Children and young people who take part in World Book Day activities enjoy reading more compared with their peers who don’t take part – 63.8% vs 48.4%, while 54.7% read more books as a result of World Book Day.
Parents surveyed by the charity said that 50% of children find reading more fun because of World Book Day, 48% make more time to read and 49% feel they have more choice in what they read because of it. Children who are the most engaged with literacy are also three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than those who are the least engaged (39.4% vs 11.8%.)
In its 25th year in 2022, World Book Day distributed 50 million £1 book tokens through schools, nurseries, magazines and partnerships, to enable children to get a book of their own, for free.
Cassie Chadderton, CEO of World Book Day comments:“World Book Day exists to encourage more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to benefit from a life-long habit of reading for pleasure. Many families are facing financial challenges so we want all children, families, schools and communities to feel welcome to celebrate the joy of reading in ways that work for them.
“There are lots of affordable, inclusive and of course, enjoyable ways to create joy and excitement around reading. Dressing up is a great way to encourage children to read, and we’ve shared ideas for other fun activities and resources to help schools, nurseries and families to work together to create a World Book Day where everyone feels included. The joy of reading cannot be underestimated in terms of improved wellbeing and the improved life chances it can lead to.”
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “World Book Day is an important moment to inspire and delight children with the wonder of books and a powerful platform to reinforce the importance of building literacy skills for life – this is even more essential during times of economic hardship.
“Economic studies have shown that reading for pleasure can result in children getting better GCSEs, in turn boosting their lifetime earnings and raising the UK’s GDP. In the future, my hope is that more children will grow up to be adults who read and that reading and books are part of their world.”
Scotland’s councils set out ambitions to help young people succeed
Local authorities have published their plans for closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
Councils across Scotland have set their own “stretch aims” for children and young peoples’ progress in literacy and numeracy levels, for senior phase qualifications achieved, as well as for the number of young people participating in education, training, or employment.
For both overall attainment and in terms of closing the poverty-related attainment gap in literacy and numeracy, the collective stretch aims of local authorities demonstrate ambitions to work towards achieving the biggest two-year improvement recorded since the introduction of the Scottish Attainment Challenge.
This work will be supported by the Scottish Government’s £1 billion Scottish Attainment Challenge, with £43 million in Strategic Equity Funding allocated to local authorities this year. In total more than £130 million has been distributed to schools so far this year to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We are committed to substantially eliminating the poverty-related attainment gap and councils have a crucial role in driving this national mission forward at a local level.
“Given the effect of COVID-19 on children and young peoples’ achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels in 2020/21, these collective aims represent significant local ambition for recovery back to and beyond the national position pre-pandemic, aiming to narrow the poverty related attainment gap by over seven percentage points in both primary school literacy and numeracy compared to 2020/21.
“These will drive an enhanced focus on outcomes for children and young people, ensuring they have the opportunities and support they need to reach their full potential.”
This year’s Book Week Scotland programme has been announced today (26 October), with a line-up themed around ‘Scotland’s Stories’, as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has worked closely with writers and partners to put together an exciting week packed full of online and in-person events and activities, taking place 14–20 November.
Book Week Scotland is the country’s biggest celebration of books and reading and this 1year the public are invited to vote on their favourite animal from fiction – voting is now open, and a national winner will be revealed during the week!
Events throughout the week include an evening with Sally Magnusson sharing stories from four vibrant Scottish communities, and Book Shriek Scotland – a celebration of Scotland’s folklore presented by Kirsty Logan and Heather Parry, featuring storytellers and writers including Garth Marenghi.
Scottish Book Trust will also be asking people to share what they’re reading during the week on a Reading Map of Scotland.
A new book, Scotland’s Stories, has been published by Scottish Book Trust, featuring true stories from people across Scotland as well as exclusive contributions from published writers Angus Peter Campbell, Raman Mundair, Graeme Armstrong and Helen Fields.
70,000 copies of the book will be given out for free during Book Week Scotland through libraries and community spaces, and it will also be available to read online and as an audiobook.
From icons of literature to local tales, Scotland’s Year of Stories encourages locals and visitors to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of our stories, past and present.
Book Week Scotland programme highlights:
Scotland’s Stories: Tales from the People of Scotland with Sally Magnusson – Monday 14 November, 7pm at Glasgow Film Theatre. Join Sally Magnusson to celebrate the real-life stories told by people from four vibrant communities across Scotland. The wonderful pieces in this event have been generously shared by people from the Garnock Valley, Port Glasgow and Greenock, Lochgelly and the South Islands of the Western Isles. Each story was shared by a member of the public as part of Community Campfires, supported by Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. Reserve your ticket on Eventbrite.
Book Shriek Scotland is a celebration of Scotland’s spooky folklore –and some from further afield. This is an online event premiering on Monday 14 November, in which award-winning authors Heather Parry and Kirsty Logan present an anthology of folk tales told by storytellers and writers, including Garth Marenghi, Amanda Thomson, Ailsa Dixon, John Lees and Anna Cheung. We’ll be inviting people to send us folk tales from their hometowns on social media after the event.
Tales Fae Fife: a writing workshop with James Oswald – Tuesday 15 November, 6.30–8.30pm at 58 Bonnygate in Cupar. Join Fife author James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean, The Ballad of Sir Benfro and the Constance Fairchild series, for an exciting event that will include a mini writing workshop. Find out more and reserve your ticket on Eventbrite.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Book Week Scotland is a special time of year, where people across Scotland can come together to celebrate and experience the magic of books and reading.
“The 2022 programme features a mix of fun, spooky, inspiring and unusual events and activities. This year’s Book Week Scotland forms part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, celebrating Scotland’s rich culture of telling stories. We hope you’ll be able to join in with a Book Week Scotland event in your community, or one of the many ways to take part online.”
Sally Magnusson, broadcaster and writer, said:“I am delighted to be hosting ‘Scotland’s Stories: Tales from the People of Scotland’ during Book Week Scotland because this special event celebrates the stories that remind us who we are, that connect us to our families and our communities and that enable us to share the challenges and the joys of life with one another.
“Showcasing the extraordinary stories from ordinary people at the Glasgow Film Theatre is a great way to round off Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.”
Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing at Creative Scotland, said:‘Book Week Scotland is upon us with an imaginative and inspiring programme to excite, intrigue and surprise.
‘This high-profile national focus on literature brings readers together to engage with stories and meet their favourite authors.
‘In particular this year’s connection with the Year of Stories allows our folklore and rich heritage to be viewed and enjoyed through contemporary voices.’
Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive of the Scottish Library & Information Council (SLIC), said:“Book Week Scotland is a terrific opportunity to celebrate everything that is great about books, reading and bringing together people, families, and communities to explore and revel in the power of words and shared stories. Libraries across Scotland have great programmes lined up during Book Week Scotland.
‘Research shows that reading for just six minutes a day can reduce stress levels by up to 68 per cent in people of all ages, and with our libraries across Scotland filled with an abundance of free reading materials – whatever your interests and ability – we hope people will take the opportunity to use Book Week Scotland to start or get back to enjoying books and at the same time rediscover the enchanting world of the many brilliant libraries right on their doorstep.’
Neil Gray MSP, Minister for Culture, said: “Book Week Scotland’s theme around Scotland’s Year of Stories continues our celebration of innovative and ground-breaking forms of storytelling. This has been a bumper year for new and untold stories from people in communities across Scotland.
“There has never been a better time to enjoy a good story and this week’s events will also highlight the wealth of emerging and forward-looking writing and storytelling talent we have on our doorsteps.”
Literacy challenges are affecting everyday lives with almost a quarter of adults from Edinburgh (23%) saying that they find it difficult understanding terms and conditions of applications and contracts
Over two thirds of adults from Edinburgh thought ‘Harrass’ is correct (correct spelling ‘Harass’)
Global assistive technology company, Texthelp, has unveiled new research highlighting the scale and impact that literacy challenges are having on the UK population including Edinburgh.
Almost a third (32%)[1] of adults from Edinburgh have admitted to having reading, writing, grammar, comprehension and spelling difficulties.
Having literacy difficulties can feed into people’s everyday life. Almost a quarter (23%) of adults from Edinburgh said that they find it difficult understanding terms and conditions of applications and contracts. Over a fifth (21%) also admit to finding it difficult trying to understand paperwork and contracts, such as rental agreements and phone contracts.
When it comes to spelling, the data showed that UK adults struggle to identify the correct spelling of certain common words. Ironically 31 % of adults from Edinburgh thought ‘Mispelt’ is correct (correct spelling ‘Misspelt), with over two thirds (67 %) thinking ‘Harrass’ was the correct spelling (correct spelling ‘’Harass’).
Launched during International Dyslexia Awareness Month (October 2022), the new study by Censuswide, commissioned by Texthelp, surveyed over 2,000 UK adults across the countrywhich included 95 participants from Edinburgh.
Martin McKay, Founder and CEO at Texthelp said: “By carrying out this research, we have found out more about how adults in the UK including Edinburgh feel about literacy challenges.
“We have learned how these barriers impact people every day. We are continuing to provide new products in education and will ensure words won’t hold people back. We are helping in both education and in the workplace. We are committed to helping everyone understand and be understood by providing a suite of literacy and numeracy tools to more people across the globe.”
British TV actor and ‘Derry Girls’ star, Dylan Llewellynhas dyslexia and says that some everyday tasks can be difficult for him.
Dylan said, “Being severely dyslexic meant I found school challenging and was often behind with my classwork. I struggled at mainstream school but as soon as I went to a specialist school it did help me grow in confidence and develop learning techniques.
“Acting with dyslexia has thrown up some challenges, for example, if I have to learn a script quickly then this can be difficult to do. Reading and writing is a part of everyone’s lives, so it’s important that there is support for everybody, not just pupils with dyslexia who attend a specialist school.”
The report forms part of a broader campaign titled “Words Can’t Hold Us Back”, which has been launched to raise awareness of the scale of literacy challenges in the UK, while highlighting the solutions available for Brits to overcome these barriers.
900 Edinburgh children gifted books by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Literacy Trust in drive to boost reading
25,000 copies of Sir Lenny Henry’s novel The Boy With Wings given to children at 335 schools across the UK as Black History Month gets underway
This book was chosen because 40% of children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds don’t see themselves in what they read according to research
Five videos with lesson plans featuring Joanna Adeyinka-Burford (CBeebies) and Sienna Clarke (Matilda The Musical) to engage children and support teachers
Part of a national £134,000 programme to encourage reading
Sir Lenny Henry’s first novel, The Boy With Wings, will be flying home with 900 P6 and P7 pupils at 15 schools in Edinburgh on 3rd October, thanks to Enterprise and the National Literacy Trust who have joined forces for a second consecutive year to promote the benefits of reading.
The partnership aims to boost rates of reading for pleasure, which is linked to better attainment at school1, higher lifetime earning potential2 and better mental health3. Despite the clear benefits of reading, almost one in five (18.6%) children in England between the ages of five and eight do not have access to books at home4, according to recent research by the National Literacy Trust.
This gift is part of Enterprise’s ROAD Forward, a $55 million fund from the philanthropic Enterprise Holdings Foundation to support social and racial equity projects across the world.
The books will arrive in schools at the start of UK Black History Month (1-31 October) which celebrates the accomplishments of Black Britons.
The National Literacy Trust has produced video resources and lesson plans featuring CBeebies star Joanna Adeyinka-Burton and Matilda The Musical actress Sienna Clarke to enable schools to delve deeper into the themes of diversity and inclusion that feature in the book.
The resources will be available to participating schools for one week and will be accessible to all schools and parents from 10th October at:
The Boy With Wings, illustrated by Keenon Ferrell and published by Macmillan Children’s books, was chosen because it portrays important messages about race, inclusion and diversity wrapped up in an exciting and fun adventure. The book also includes an exclusive comic book created by Marvel artist, Mark Buckingham.
Sir Lenny Henry said he wrote The Boy With Wings because he didn’t see Black heroes in the books he read growing up, and wants all children to see themselves appear centre stage in exciting, inspiring stories where they have great adventures.
Research by the National Literacy Trust found that 40% of children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds say that they don’t see themselves in what they read.
“I want to make sure as many kids as possible have access to books and this project brilliantly targets those kids who don’t have books at home,” he said. “Reading – with lots of trips to my local library in Dudley – was such an important part of my childhood, it took me on so many different adventures and to so many different worlds.
“Here’s to The Boy With Wings flying into homes across the UK thanks to the National Literacy Trust and Enterprise!”
Simon Caughey-Rogers, Enterprise’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Charity Events Manager said: “Enterprise firmly believes in expanding opportunity for everyone. This partnership provides an excellent way for us to support early childhood development through the power of reading.
“Too many children say that they don’t see themselves in what they read, especially those from Black ethnic backgrounds. It is our hope that this book helps inspire them and spark a lifelong interest in reading for pleasure, with all the fun and benefits that it can bring.”
Darranda Rowswell, Director of Development at the National Literacy Trust commented: “Creating a culture of reading for pleasure in schools is crucial to increasing literacy levels, which in turn gives children access to more opportunities throughout their lives.
“The Boy With Wings is an excellent choice of book for this project because Sir Lenny Henry’s story gives children of Black heritage the chance to see themselves and their lives in the books they read, as well as engaging children of all backgrounds in the adventures of Tunde. We’re so excited to see this partnership create a culture of reading and encouraging a love of stories that we hope will stay with children for the rest of their lives.”
Samantha Smith, Publisher, Fiction, Non-Fiction and Picture Books, Macmillan Children’s Books, says: “‘Macmillan Children’s Books is thrilled to be working with partners who are just as passionate as we are about spreading a love of reading and getting books into the hands of children across the UK.
“Lenny Henry’s exciting, adventurous and funny The Boy With Wings is the perfect read to encourage children to spread their wings.”
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation was established in 1982 to give back to the communities where partners and employees live and work.
The towns and cities receiving books from the partnership are: Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Rochdale, Salford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bradford, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Newport, Swindon, London borough of Southwark, London borough of Lambeth, London borough of Hackney, London borough of Enfield, London borough of Islington, Belfast and Lisburn.
Over 2,000 pupils to be involved via classrooms and online events
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will bring two fantastic authors into schools this summer.
Ross Mackenzie, the recent winner of the Scottish Teenage Book Prize, will visit primary schools in Perth and Kinross as well as online from Monday 20 to Tuesday 21 June. As part of the tour he will discuss his latest novel, The Colour of Hope, a powerful adventure of a world purged of colour by an evil Emperor and the remarkable girl who might just be able to restore light and brightness to a drab, grey empire. Ross will explain how he creates his immensely likeable characters and vivid fantasy worlds, with time for pupils to ask questions.
Kate Gilby-Smith, author of Olive Jones and the Memory Thief, will visit primary schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and West Lothian from Thursday 23 to Friday 24 June. She will talk about Olive Jones and the Memory Thief, an ideal read for any budding scientists, tech industry pioneers and daydreamers. Kate will also use brilliant interactive activities to get children thinking about how they can come up with their own futuristic gadgets.
Ross Mackenzie is a multi award-winning author of books for children, including The Nowhere Emporium, which won the Blue Peter Book Award. He grew up in Renfrew, just outside Glasgow, and knew from a young age that he wanted to be a writer.
Kate Gilby-Smith is a children’s author and publicist based in London. While daydreaming during a philosophy of time travel seminar at the University of Edinburgh, she first had the idea for her debut book, The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing. During the pandemic, the tour has been delivered virtually throughout classrooms in Scotland, with educational watch on demand video content viewed over 100,000 times.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said:“It’s wonderful that the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is able to visit pupils both in person and via online events.
“Thanks to this, we are able to visit more classrooms than ever before, and this tour alone will reach over 2,000 pupils. Both Ross and Kate are great storytellers, and we are sure they will inspire pupils across a range of ages.”
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the National Literacy Trust have teamed up to give away almost 23,000 copies of Serena Patel’s award-winning book, Anisha, Accidental Detective, to 240 primary schools in nine cities around the UK.
Today, a team from Enterprise will land in Edinburgh at Hermitage Park Primary School as part of a five-day tour of the UK to deliver the books in a van specially decorated by the book’s illustrator Emma McCann, featuring characters from the book.
The National Literacy Trust has worked with Enterprise to identify communities across the UK that will benefit from an injection of books and the charity is confident that this donation will help to increase reading for pleasure among these children.
The road trip started in Belfast on Monday and will visit schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and London.
The aim of the initiative is to provide schools in very diverse inner-city communities with a stock of interesting books that they can gift children to take home and keep as this reinforces classroom learning.
Enterprise employees have recorded a read-along version of the book which children can access via an online link or QR code as an added aid to help them read.
Research shows that reading for pleasure out of school is a major contributing factor to success at school and then in later life and is even linked to a higher lifetime earning potential.
The initiative was made possible with a £128,000 donation from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation as part of the US$55 million global ROAD Forward initiative that promotes social and racial equity projects across the world.
Darranda Rowswell, Director of Development at the National Literacy Trust, said: “Around one in 11 children from lower income families don’t have a book of their own at home.
“Reading is not just great fun, but it’s a vital skill and we want all children to love reading. Children and young people who enjoy reading and who read frequently are better readers, helping them to realise their fullest potential at school and in life.
“This book donation is one more important step in our literacy recovery programme to address the educational issues caused by the pandemic and will help the children who need it most. We’re so happy that Enterprise was able to support us in this programme which will see thousands of children benefitting from this exciting book.”
Simon Caughey-Rogers, Enterprise’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Charity Events Manager, said the partnership with the National Literacy Trust has had enormous support from the whole of the company.
He added: “Many of our super star employees also struggled with reading at school. Every child should get the support they need to be their best and we hope this initiative will go a little way to helping more children get the resources they need. We are really looking forward to their feedback and excited to see how they get on with the book.”
Research from the CLPE in 2020 revealed that only eight per cent of children’s books featured an ethnic minority leading character. Serena Patel’s book was chosen to inspire children who may not usually see themselves represented in the books they read.
Author Serena Patel said she supported the National Literacy Trusts’ campaign to promote reading for pleasure and was delighted that her book was playing an important part in the programme.
Serena said: “I was thrilled when I heard that Enterprise and the National Literacy Trust were coming together for this initiative to gift books to children in primary schools. The lockdowns have been tough for everyone and so being part of such a positive, inspiring project is a massive privilege.
“I couldn’t be prouder that Anisha will be helping encourage children to discover the excitement of reading. Huge thanks to Enterprise for making it happen and for supporting young readers all over the country.”
Enterprise’s ROAD (Respect, Opportunity, Achievement, Diversity) Forward programme is a global initiative launched by the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, aimed at strengthening and supporting the communities where the company operates. It provides funding to projects that open opportunity for people who lack of access to resources in education, health and wellbeing.
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation was established in 1982 to give back to the communities where partners and employees live and work.
Social mobility is core to Enterprise’s hiring and development strategy.
The company was recently awarded Organisation of the Year and Progression Programme of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs).
