Nearly 10,000 volunteers are helping tens of thousands of children across England and parts of Scotland improve their reading, but leading literacy charities warn progress is being held back by flat volunteer recruitment. With 1 in 4 children leaving primary school unable to read well, and school budgets stretched too thin to hire additional support, they say urgent action is needed to reach more pupils in need of help with reading to prevent them being left behind.

Newly released data from four national children’s reading charities - Bookmark Reading Charity, Chapter One, Coram Beanstalk and Schoolreaders - all part of The Literacy Link action network - shows that last academic year, 9,832 trained volunteers delivered more than 464,895 hours of one-to-one reading support to 46,907 children across 2,566 primary schools.

The figures, compiled to provide a clearer national picture of volunteer-led reading support, celebrate the scale and impact of current provision and positive outcomes for both pupils and volunteers, yet expose the growing pressure on capacity as demand from schools continues to outstrip the number of people available to volunteer.

Frankie Smith, Interim CEO of Bookmark Reading Charity, said:

“Across our schools, demand for one-to-one reading support continues to exceed capacity. At Bookmark alone, we need around 25% more volunteers to meet current demand from schools.” 

While the charities operate independently and use different delivery models, including in-school community volunteers and online sessions led by corporate, public and youth volunteers, all rely on people giving regular, one-to-one time to primary-aged children who are struggling to read.

Teachers involved in the charities’ programmes report consistent improvements in reading and wider outcomes. 84% of teachers said pupils showed improved reading fluency, 67% reported better comprehension and 94% reported improved communication and oracy skills. Teachers also reported significant increases in reading confidence (94%). On one programme, Coram Beanstalk reported that 96% of children showed improved wellbeing, and 98% an increase in self-confidence.

Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One said:

“The evidence shows how effective one-to-one support can be. It’s not just reading ability that rockets following sessions with our Chapter One volunteers, it’s confidence, self-esteem and the enjoyment of reading. It can be life-changing.”

Despite these outcomes, the charities say their ability to expand support is constrained by flat volunteer recruitment numbers, at a time when schools are under pressure to address gaps in literacy.

The data also points to strong outcomes for volunteers themselves. Across the four charities, almost all volunteers (98%) said they would recommend the experience to others, while around 80% reported a greater sense of purpose or life satisfaction.

Sally Wrampling, CEO of Schoolreaders said:

“Schools are clear about the value that Schoolreaders’ volunteer reading support brings to their pupils. What we see is not only the positive impact on the children, but also on the adult they form a bond with. The wellbeing aspects of volunteering cannot be overstated.”

The figures are being released during the National Year of Reading, which aims to recruit 100,000 volunteers nationwide to support children’s literacy. With only 10% of pupils who fall behind at primary school going on to pass Maths and English GCSE, charities stress the critical importance of early, targeted intervention.

Amy Lewis, Head of Coram Beanstalk, said volunteering remains both accessible and impactful. 

“For children the benefits can be lifelong, but the ask of volunteers is small and extremely rewarding. With Coram Beanstalk an afternoon a week can make a meaningful difference to a child’s confidence and enjoyment of reading, setting them up for a brighter future.” 

Volunteering opportunities with the charities are available both in person and online, with training and ongoing support provided. 

Data summary

Evidence compiled May 2026, analysing data from the 2024-25 academic year across four charities: Bookmark Reading Charity, Chapter One, Schoolreaders and Coram Beanstalk. Evidence represents an average across the four charities, except where specified. The latter is due to some differing methods of analysis for each organisation; where an accurate average cannot be drawn.

Reading/literacy outcomes

● 81% of individual children supported showed improved reading fluency at the end of the programme compared to the start

● 84% of teachers reported that children on the charities’ programmes improved their reading fluency (79% - 89%).

● 67% of teachers reported improved reading comprehension (53% - 91%).

● 77% of individual children supported showed improved reading comprehension at the end of the programme compared to the start.

● 94% of teachers reported improved communication skills/oracy skills (93-94%).

● 94% of individual children supported showed improved communication skills at the end of the programme compared to the start, according to Coram Beanstalk and Chapter One.

Reading attitudes/behaviour outcomes

● 94% of teachers reported improved reading confidence (92% - 96%).

● 84% of individual children supported showed greater reading confidence at the end of the programme compared to the start, according to Coram Beanstalk and Chapter One.

● 91% of teachers reported increased reading enjoyment/a greater love for reading (82% - 96%).

● 84% of individual children showed a greater love of reading, according to Coram Beanstalk.

● 76% of teachers reported increased reading motivation (62% - 87%).

● 87% of individual children are more prepared to read when asked to do so, according to Coram Beanstalk.

Personal and wellbeing outcomes

● 69% of teachers reported improved wellbeing and 70% reported improved self-confidence, according to Coram Beanstalk.

● 96% of individual children supported showed improved wellbeing showed improved wellbeing, according to Schoolreaders.

Willingness to recommend the volunteer experience to others

● Perhaps the clearest overall indicator of volunteer satisfaction is the near-universal willingness to recommend the experience to others. Bookmark Reading Charity measures this via a Net Promoter Score (NPS) rather than a direct percentage, and their score of 71 is considered exceptional. On average, across the other three charities, 98% of volunteers (96–99%) said they would recommend their volunteering experience.

For more information on volunteering opportunities visit:

Bookmark Reading Charity / [email protected] 

Chapter One / [email protected]

Schoolreaders / [email protected] 

Coram Beanstalk / [email protected]