A guide to Bookmark for school staff (face to face programmes) If you need any immediate support during a reading session, you can contact the Bookmark helpline on 0203 995 7960. Please contact the School Relationship Manager after the session to report any issues.
Reading programme checklist •
Ahead of the first session, our volunteer will arrive 15 minutes early for the school to complete a short induction with the designated member of staff
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We recommend you check your session schedules via the Home Page so you know which children have sessions scheduled (remember this is a live document so it’s worth checking daily, you can download it as an excel file as well using the ‘Download sessions’ button)
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Please ensure the child has their levelled reading book (such as a colour banded or reading scheme book) ready for their reading session, volunteers will use this along with school library books during the session. They will also have printed activities to use.
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Ensure the session takes place in a safe reading space (please see below)
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If you need to contact a volunteer, their email address can be found on the volunteers tab of the School Hub.
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If a child is absent, you can cancel the session or identify another child in your class to participate in a one-off reading session that day. If another child is going to be attending a reading session, please ensure the volunteer is informed of the change ahead of the session. This should only be done for adhoc absences and will be at the volunteer’s discretion. If a child is absent frequently, please discuss with your School Relationship Manager as to whether it is suitable they continue with the programme.
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If you need to cancel a reading session, please do so via the School Hub prior to the start of the session to avoid being charged. This will automatically notify Bookmark and the volunteer. Please be mindful that volunteers will be travelling to the school, so where possible try to give as much notice of cancellations as you can.
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Please remain vigilant and report any safeguarding concerns.
Safe spaces for reading A safe reading space is a secure and safe area, such as a classroom or other visible area of the school. If the space is in a separate room, there must be transparent windows in the door and doors should always be left open and unlocked.
Please remember You can revisit your School Hub Training at any time for reminders on how to do any of the following: •
View and download your session schedules as needed.
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Amend or cancel a reading session if needed.
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View volunteers contact information and DBS details.
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View contact details for Bookmark, and your School Relationship Manager
Support for you You can contact your Bookmark School Relationship Manager with any questions you have via phone or email - please ask the school's Bookmark contact for the details. If you would like to speak to a Designated Safeguarding Lead from Bookmark, please contact 020 3995 7970. For more information, please visit our website, www.bookmarkreading.org