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Bookmark Reading Charity
Bookmark Reading Charity has a very simple vision: we want every child to read. Currently, more than 1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to read well. This disproportionately impacts children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who leave primary school on average a year behind their peers.  Through delivery of one-to-one reading programmes, Bookmark aims to meet the needs of…
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Description

Bookmark Reading Volunteers directly support children who are at risk of leaving primary school unable to read well. Struggling to read can contribute to poor educational attainment, lower literacy in adulthood and has even been linked to a lower life expectancy. You can help ignite the joy of reading and change a child’s story.

In this volunteer role, you’ll have 30-minute one-to-one reading sessions on 2 days per week. This is across 6 weeks with a child aged between 5 and 11 years old. Each session will involve reading stories and playing literacy games on our secure online platform or face-to-face. You’ll book your reading programme through Bookmark’s Volunteer Hub and select sessions on days and times that work with your commitments.  

Volunteers tell us they find the role flexible, impactful and rewarding. More than 60% also say their own wellbeing has improved because of volunteering with Bookmark!

The role is also set up for you to bring your own personality into the sessions and get to know your reader’s interests. Volunteers report they enjoy providing the child one-to-one attention and being able to introduce a book, comic or poem for the first time that they love! 

Bookmark pays for your DBS checks, provides online training and offers volunteers ongoing support so that you can deliver fantastic and fun reading sessions, enabling all children to discover the joy of reading. 

Bookmark is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community. We aim to create an environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

Duties
  • Help children who struggle with their reading gain essential skills at a crucial age. This will prepare them to move up the school, ready to tackle new challenges without falling further behind. Three quarters of our volunteers noticed their reader become more confident with their reading.
  • Give a child one-to-one attention and be a role model. Teachers have told us that children really benefit from this dedicated time and found it boosted their self-esteem and confidence as well as their reading. You can read more about this in our Impact Report on our website.
Training
Bookmark provides online training on the following:
- Preparing for your reading programme and what to expect
- How to explore a child’s reader identity and support them with their reading
- Safeguarding and how to report any concerns that may arise.

Time commitment

One reading programme consists of 30-minute one-to-one reading sessions on 2 days per week, across 6 weeks. You can deliver more than one programme, but you can choose the frequency and timings that suit your commitments. For example, some volunteers like to deliver one reading programme per school term, and others like to deliver 3 reading programmes per school term.

Categories

UCL Departments

This organisation is one of our community partner organisations.

Like all volunteer recruiters we work with, they have signed up to our service standards, agreeing to abide by our policy on partnership working to keep you safe and supported whilst you volunteer.

You’ll never be out of pocket for volunteering through us – with in-London travel expenses to and from your volunteering guaranteed.

In addition, the team here at Students’ Union UCL Volunteering Service is here to support you throughout your volunteering journey – you can get in touch with us at any time.