Bridging the Gap: How One-to-One Reading Support is Changing Futures for Disadvantaged Children

Children who can’t read well are less likely to go on to higher education, find out what Bookmark are doing to change that.

Reading is a fundamental skill that shapes a child’s future. When children struggle with reading, it can hold them back from reaching their full potential, including going on to higher education.

We explore the importance of one-to-one reading support for developing the reading skills children need for their futures. We also share, university student, Lauren’s story, who volunteers with Bookmark helping children to improve their literacy.

Meet Lauren

Lauren, a university student, volunteers with Bookmark to help children develop their reading skills.

Lauren was motivated to apply to be a volunteer after drawing on her own love of reading throughout her childhood. As an undergraduate student, her decision to support children struggling with reading comes from a personal understanding of how crucial literacy skills are for personal development and future opportunities.

She said: “I thought it was such a nice thing to give back and help other children read, especially because I get so much out of it and thought it was such a shame for children that struggle”.

With a large number of children leaving primary school unable to read well - something that’s disproportionately higher in disadvantaged communities, volunteers like Lauren play a significant role in boosting literacy skills, driving engagement in academia and increasing confidence among their readers – key elements for pursuing higher education.

Building reader confidence

Lauren witnessed first-hand the transformative power of literacy. She describes how hesitant and quiet children often become more engaged and confident as they progress in their reading abilities.

She said: “I really enjoy seeing the pupil improve over the weeks and their confidence is a really nice this as well… [my favourite part is] seeing them go through and enjoying reading”.

More than 83% of Bookmark’s partner schools have reported growth in confidence as a fundamental outcome of their reading sessions*. This confidence boost not only enhances literacy skills, but also prepares children for some of the academic challenges of higher education.

Fostering reading motivation

Lauren developed her communication skills through volunteering with Bookmark. She said: “being encouraging and being a motivator” is a skill she’s learned. Not only has this helped her to come out of her shell, but she also noted how rewarding it is to be positive and patient and to celebrate her readers’ achievements.

Research shows*, motivation to read is important for developing children’s reading skills over time. Children who are motivated to read are more likely to invest more cognitive effort in understanding texts, which significantly improves both their reading abilities and academic performance*.

However, many children lack one-to-one reading support or a motivating role model like Lauren. Without this encouragement and motivation to read, struggling readers can develop ‘strong negative feelings about reading and create a vicious circle in which poor readers remain poor readers’*.

The power of one-to-one reading support

Providing one-to-one reading support, equips children with the tools needed to develop essential literacy skills in their early years. Not only do our volunteer-led sessions help children to read confidently, but they also have a knock-on effect on improving their communication skills overall.

Reading and higher education

Reading skills are crucial for a child’s educational journey and future success. From gathering information to understanding exam instructions, literacy skills are important for successfully navigating school and earning the qualifications needed for higher education.

Sadly, poor literacy remains a significant issue in the UK, especially in disadvantaged areas:

·       Children from lower-income households are around 4.6 months behind their peers from higher-income households in literacy skills – by the end of primary school, this gap grows to around 9 months*.

·       Low reading levels are one of the biggest challenges pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds face in their academic achievements*.

Poor literacy is a major barrier to equal access and participation in higher education. With pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds 2.5 times less likely to go to higher education compared to all other pupils*, more needs to be done to make sure pupils can develop the skills and qualifications needed to reach their full potential.

Bookmark’s programme is aimed at children in disadvantaged areas to bridge this gap. By providing one-to-one reading support, children can become successful readers and communicators in school and beyond. Bookmark’s volunteer-led programme, plays a crucial role in ensuring every child has an equal opportunity to become a confident reader and pursue higher education.

Sources

 *Internal research by Bookmark Reading Charity.

*Barber, A. T., & Klauda, S. L. (2020). How Reading Motivation and Engagement Enable Reading Achievement: Policy Implications. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(1), 27-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219893385

*"Reading Motivation vis-s-vis Academic Performance" written by Elysha S. Alvarado, Cerenio Adriatico, published by Open Journal of Social Sciences, Vol.7 No.6, 2019. Https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.76007

*National Literacy Trust, 2006.

* The Endowment Foundation, 2023.

*Government Statistical Office, 2023.