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“Bookmark gives children the chance to improve their reading skills, enjoy books, have contact with other people, and become more independent and confident.�
- Teacher
Impact Report 2019/20
With data collected in an independent evaluation by
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“His confidence with reading improved dramatically, as he was practising in a safe, judgement-free environment with an adult who was solely focused on him. He was so proud of his certificate at the end.”
- Teacher
Click to watch Freddie’s story
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We want every child to read Bookmark has an incredibly simple vision: we want every child to read. We’re helping children develop the reading skills they need to succeed by creating flexible volunteering at the heart of our communities. Currently in the UK, more than seven million adults struggle with basic reading every day. With an average of eight children in a class leaving primary school unable to read well, there is a clear need for our support to improve children’s reading attainment. Our literacy programme aims to improve both children’s literacy skills and their attitude towards reading. The latter is well evidenced to be a key factor in children’s reading development - in fact, the National Literacy Trust found that young people who very much enjoy reading are three times as likely to read above the level expected for their age as young people who don’t enjoy reading at all. After a successful pilot, we rolled out the Bookmark programme across London primary schools in September 2019. As you’ll read in this report, it has been enormously successful in achieving our three key aims: 1. Improving children’s enjoyment of reading Our model empowers children to have a positive reading experience by giving them the opportunity to choose for themselves what they’d like to read. This includes the diverse selection of books in our Bookmark Box, which you can read about on p20. The inclusion of literacy games also makes each reading session engaging and fun. 2. Improving children’s confidence with reading Many children do not get consistent one-to-one adult support to build up their reading confidence. Teachers may not have the time to provide this, and many families are simply not in a position to do so either. With our programme, children are provided a safe space to develop their confidence as they build a trusting relationship with their volunteer. 3. Improving children’s reading attainment Our programme supports improved reading attainment through the format of short, regular one-to-one sessions that involve colour-banded book reading, so that children can further their classroom learning at their own pace. The inclusion of literacy games supports their progress as a form of evidence based ‘learning through play’.
All data in this report was collated by the National Literacy Trust, who we were delighted to have conduct an independent evaluation of our impact. This includes all of the quotes, although the case studies were collected by Bookmark. We hope you’ll enjoy reading it. Kitty Higgins, Bookmark Chief Executive
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I think the programme is outstanding. The sessions feel playful and child-led.
- Teacher
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Contents 5 | The year at a glance 7 | Our impact
• research methodology (p8) • on reading enjoyment (p9) • on reading confidence (p11) • on reading attainment (p13) • additional benefits (p15)
17 | Our community
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• our volunteers (p18) • our schools (p19) • our corporate partners (p21)
We achieve our impact on children’s literacy through
One-to-one sessions “There is a strong body of evidence demonstrating the benefit of one-to-one tutoring for children struggling with literacy.” - Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)
in a six-week programme Two 30-minute sessions a week, for six weeks, follows the EEF’s guidance of keeping interventions brief, regular and maintained over a sustained period. Children can do multiple programmes if needed.
that are clearly structured, 30-minute sessions are divided into three segments: the child’s banded classroom book, the child’s own choice (to develop a reader identity), and literacy games and activities (to bring enjoyment into reading).
fun and engaging The child is empowered to choose the texts and games that they’ll enjoy the most. Reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status (OECD).
and with diverse volunteers Our diverse volunteer pool exposes children to varied vocabulary, and opportunities for language acquisition. Children exposed to more words have a lower risk of adult mental health issues (The Oxford Language Report).
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4,176
348
programmes
30
schools
sessions
9 in 10
teachers say their pupils enjoy reading more
% of teachers felt satisfied or very satisfied with our programme
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Our children loved going to read with the Bookmark volunteers. Any time I walked past, the children were clearly learning with big smiles on their faces.”
- Teacher Three quarters of volunteers
noticed that their reader’s confidence improved
92% of volunteers felt they’d had a positive impact
Two thirds Two of thirds of teachers teachers
noticed their pupils’ reading fluency improve
90% of volunteers felt supported by the Bookmark team
7 in 10 volunteers felt more connected to their community
9 in 10 of volunteers found the activities in the Bookmark Box useful
The year at a glance We maximised our impact by supporting children (aged 5-8) in high need of additional reading support. Teachers at our partner schools identified pupils in Years 1 - 3 who were at risk of not meeting the expected standard for reading. More than half of the children on our programme are disadvantaged, defined by the receipt of Pupil Premium. Disadvantaged children are at higher risk of poor literacy, with 1 in 8 not owning a single book (The National Literacy Trust). Half of the children on our programme are from families where English is an additional language. This may mean their parents are less able to support their children with reading in English.
Three quarters of children on our programme either have English as an additional language or are disadvantaged (in receipt of Pupil Premium)
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SWS
OUR I M PAC T
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Research Methodology This report uses data from the following three sources: 1. Teacher surveys conducted at the end of the school year A survey was conducted in April-May 2020 to explore teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the Bookmark programme on their pupils. 20 teachers from 16 schools completed the end-of-year teacher survey. 2. Volunteer surveys throughout the year, and in April 2020 77 volunteers completed a survey at the end of the final session of the 6-week programme. In April 2020, 64 volunteers completed an end-of-year survey, providing insight on their overall volunteer experience. 3. Interviews with teachers and volunteers Interviews with teachers and volunteers were conducted via Zoom in April 2020. All the interviews were recorded, and detailed notes were made on the recordings afterwards. Three teachers from three schools and one volunteer took part in the interviews.
Impact of Covid-19 The National Literacy Trust’s evaluation sought to collect data from teachers, volunteers and children in the 2019/20 academic year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 and resulting school closures, it was not possible to administer the post-programme attitudinal surveys with pupils. The evaluation was therefore adjusted to focus solely on the perceptions of impact from teachers and volunteers, collected through surveys and interviews. This report offers insight into the impact of the programme in the absence of end-of-year pupil attainment and attitudinal data. School closures also meant that many of the children (80%) we supported were only able to experience one Bookmark programme. But, irrespective of the shorter school year, the impact of our literacy intervention is evident.
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OUR I M PAC T
Outcome 1: Enjoyment of reading
Almost half
the teachers noticed pupils reading more often outside sessions
90%
of pupils enjoy reading more, according to teachers
3 in 5
volunteers noticed that their reader was enjoying reading more
”One child does not get read to at home and was a reluctant reader. She enjoyed her sessions so much and shouted with joy when she saw her volunteer at the door. She became a child who was excited to read.”- Teacher ”She liked reading at the start but got bored easily. By the end she was very positive, and she told me she’d been reading more in her home too - in one session she told me ‘This book blew my mind!’” - Volunteer
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“All the children really enjoyed having the opportunity of a 1:1 reading session. This is really important at our school as a huge number of our children don’t get this 1:1 support with reading at home.” - Teacher
Ben, 6, lives in Camden. His mother, a single parent, works long hours, and is unable to devote a lot of time to reading with him. His older brother, Liam, does try to read with Ben, but he’ll always read him the books that he enjoys, and as he is six years older that Ben, Ben struggles to understand them. When Ben started the programme, he told his volunteer, Will, that he hated reading and didn’t think it was for him. Will asked him a bit more about this, and realised that he didn’t enjoy reading because he had never had the chance to read about the things that he liked. Will returned for the second session with some football annuals, knowing that Ben loved football, and Ben was absolutely transfixed. He loved turning to the pages about his favourite players and, for the first time, showed a real enthusiasm for reading. Over the next few weeks, Will noticed that Ben was so much more focused on the session. Having been so reluctant to attend his first session, he then started running to meet Will when his session was about to begin. Ben went from hating reading to feeling sad that his reading programme was over. At the end, he told Will “I wish we could keep reading together. You make reading fun.” Will was then invited to join the school for their Christmas lunch, and Ben chose to sit with Will, rather than with the rest of his friends. He gave Will his Christmas hat to say thank you for his help.
This case study was collected by Bookmark and not the National Literacy Trust. Identifying details have been changed.
“I wish we could keep reading together. You make reading fun.” - Ben, age 6
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Outcome 2: Confidence with reading
OUR I M PAC T
Three quarters
2 in 3
9 out of 10
3/4 of volunteers noticed their reader’s confidence in reading improved
teachers feel their pupils are more confident in their reading
volunteers valued their training, which covers how to empower their reader
”She was behind her peers and therefore was losing confidence and interest. Bookmark gave her the opportunity to develop her skills in a positive and fun environment away from the rest of the class.”- Teacher “She would pick out more difficult books as she progressed through the programme. She became more confident in her ability and by the end of the programme was speeding through her book level.”- Volunteer
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“Every volunteer we have had in school has been kind and compassionate, as well as incredibly patient with our unconfident readers. This has enabled the children’s confidence to grow in reading.” - Teacher
Amir, 6, lives in Wandsworth. His family are Ethiopian, and his sister has had serious health problems. His parents don’t speak English, and so the family had returned to Ethiopia for a year to get care for their daughter, as they couldn’t communicate with British doctors. This meant he had missed a year of school. When he met his volunteer, Ali, Amir felt extremely frustrated. He liked reading and he wanted to be able to read well, but he was aware that he was at the bottom of his class. He told Ali that he wanted to be good at reading so he could read stories to his sister, who was still unwell. His sister’s illness had also made him want to be a doctor, and he said that he needed to be good at reading for that. Amir and Ali read together for the Bookmark programme, and at the start, Amir was embarrassed by not being able to read well. If he didn’t know a word, he would try to distract Ali or change the subject, but slowly he developed the confidence to give it a try. His teacher noticed that his reading was progressing, and that he was more confident reading in class, which he used to always try to avoid. By the end of the programme, the impact on Amir had been huge, and having previously found reading so frustrating, he said that he had liked reading with Ali. In the final session, he asked Ali if he had any children. Ali replied no, he didn’t, and Amir said, simply, “Oh. You’d be a nice dad.”
This case study was collected by Bookmark and not the National Literacy Trust. Identifying details have been changed.
“I liked reading with you. Oh, and you’d be a nice dad.” - Amir, age 6 12
OUR I M PAC T
Three quarters
of pupils made the reading progress their teachers expected, despite previously falling behind
Outcome 3: Reading attainment
2 in 3
The National Literacy Trust says
teachers noticed that their pupils’ reading is more fluent as a result of the programme
“Bookmark’s programme has an impact on pupils’ reading skills. It is also beneficial to pupils more widely.”
”After several sessions [the child’s] reading became a lot more fluent and he required less assistance from myself. He was reading full sentences without making any mistakes and required minimal prompts from myself.” - Volunteer ”A child with many siblings who has limited opportunities to read with an adult at home greatly benefitted from his sessions. He has made so much progress with his comprehension skills.” - Teacher
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”He has moved up three book bands and is really starting to make progress. He is consistently getting better test scores.” - Teacher
Marta, 5, lives in Camden. Her family recently moved to London from Colombia, and she is the only person in her family to speak English. Marta loves reading, but she struggles to read in English because she can’t practise with her parents at home. Her parents recognised that she was falling behind, particularly with her vocabulary, but they felt at a loss as they didn’t have the English skills that they needed to help her. In her first session with her Bookmark volunteer, Tom, Marta told him that she wanted to learn more words so that it would be easier for her to talk to her best friend, Evie. Her teachers had flagged that her limited vocabulary in English made it difficult for Marta to express herself. Marta absolutely loves butterflies, and so when she joined the Bookmark programme, she wanted to read a book about butterflies every session. To start with, Tom noticed that each time she read a word, she would use intonation as if it was a question, as she was so unsure if she was pronouncing the word correctly. However, as the sessions went on, Tom saw Marta read much more fluently. The positive reinforcement that Marta got from reading with Tom really helped her develop her vocabulary, and her teachers noticed that she was using a much wider variety of words. The programme also gave her a sense of self-belief, and she told Tom that she really liked being able to talk more easily to Evie, and to tell her all about the butterfly book.
This case study was collected by Bookmark and not the National Literacy Trust. Identifying details have been changed.
“I’m happy I can talk to my best friend Evie more now that I know more words.” - Marta, age 5 14
OUR I M PAC T
Additional benefits of our programme
“The programme may have an impact on children beyond reading, ranging from other aspects of academic skills such as writing to also more general aspects of children’s lives improved attention and concentration, improved social skills, self-esteem and overall wellbeing.” - The National Literacy Trust “It’s not just about reading, there are so many advantages to this system that Bookmark has developed. Whole child development, not just reading.” - Teacher
Teachers also noticed that their pupils benefitted from: 1. One-to-one attention “This programme was very beneficial for a child who finds the classroom overwhelming at times. The 1:1 attention was extremely beneficial for her self-esteem, confidence and general well-being.”
2. Improved self esteem “The programme changed this pupil’s attitude towards reading and also helped to improve their behaviour and self-esteem over a short period of time.”
3. Meeting diverse role models
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“This is about them improving their reading ultimately but the way that Bookmark does that is through the relationships that they build with these volunteers and by having a great time with this really cool adult that they’ve met. All of that adds up to them trying harder when they are doing their reading.”
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No one reads with her at home. Just having someone reading to her having a laugh together over a funny book or something like that - it’s opened her eyes and widened her horizons. - Teacher
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“In addition to the programme having impact on pupils, the volunteer had an overall positive experience with the programme. The volunteers felt supported throughout the programme, felt the training was useful and perceived many benefits for themselves.”
- The National Literacy Trust
OUR CO M M U N I T Y
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Click to hear Claire’s volunteer experience
What it means to be a Bookmark volunteer
OUR COMMUNITY
90%
felt supported by Bookmark
are likely to volunteer again next year
97%
described volunteering as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’
Even if one child is influenced to think ‘books are for me’ or ‘I can do this’ or ‘I do want to go to university and study English’. What an incredible difference to have made just by spending two half-hours a week in a school round the corner.
> Register as a volunteer here <
“It was a wonderful experience. I was very happy knowing that I was helping someone. The child improved a lot. It was really rewarding for me to see the improvement.“
“The volunteers at our school are well trained and briefed, and seemed genuinely to thorougly enjoy their sessions with the children, which the children fed off and loved attending their sessions.”
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3 in 4
“I really enjoyed watching my reader progress, the spirit of the school and the break out of my day. Bookmark was supportive and I felt like part of a team.”
What it means to be a Bookmark school
OUR COMMUNITY
90%
100%
5 in 6
would rate working with our volunteers as ‘excellent’
were very satisfied (70%) or satisfied (30%) with Bookmark’s programme
of those using our School Hub found it ‘easy’ or ‘fairly easy’
It is innovative, “The sessions did not simply focus on making the children read but on playing games and encouraging book talk. This meant those children who were less confident did not feel pressurised.”
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One pupil now offers to read aloud to the class during lessons and has become far more fluent.
easy to organise
and low in admin.
“It can be very challenging with all of the different things going in schools. An organisation that is so helpful and willing to make it work is really appreciated.”
“From a teacher’s point of view, it sounds like it might be quite a lot of hard work to organise and keep on top of but actually, Bookmark take a lot of the admin out of it for you.”
Click to hear why teachers love our programme
> Register your school’s interest here < “The Bookmark Box is very attractive. It’s got great books in it, with lovely illustrations - really good high quality texts. I think it’s a really lovely idea having that box. It’s something special that the children can come and get when the volunteer arrives.” - Teacher
Our Bookmark Box is gifted to all partner schools 90% of volunteers find it useful during their reading sessions. Representation of minority ethnic groups in children’s publishing is poor, with only 7% of books published in 2018 having a BAME main character. The Bookmark Box contains literacy games and a wide range of books that reflect the diversity of the communities we work in.
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OUR COMMUNITY
What it means to be a Bookmark corporate partner
Our corporate partners are an invaluable part of our Bookmark community. We are proud to support corporate social responsibility schemes by offering our flexible, impactful volunteering programme to corporate teams. Through delivering one-to-one reading sessions, your team can mentor children while also developing their own skills.
2 in 3
97%
7 in 10
volunteers valued how flexible volunteering with Bookmark is
would recommend volunteering to a friend or colleague
volunteers felt more connected to their community
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“It’s so amazing to have a direct connection to communities through schools.” - Volunteer
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The volunteers spoke to them about their jobs, and I think it is great that the children get to meet such a diverse range of people. The only adults they really know are their parents and teachers. I think it’s quite aspirational to meet those sorts of different people.
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- Teacher
> Click to register your company’s interest <
Corporate volunteers become mentors “We’ve got a little boy with developmental language delay who struggles with reading. His face just lights up when his volunteer, who is a man in a suit looking quite professional, comes in and gets him from the class. He just absolutely beams. This is what the children need, they need another adult taking an interest in them. It’s good for their mental health and wellbeing which then is good for their confidence and their belief in themselves.”
- Teacher
...while also developing their own skills
More than half our volunteers felt their communication skills improved
“My experience was amazing. I learnt about literacy being a social issue and developed my communication skills.”
1 in 2 volunteers felt that their well-being had improved
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www.bookmarkreading.org | Registered Charity No. 1177681 | Registered Company No. 11104438 Bookmark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being and welfare of children.