Impact Report 2018
02 | Read for Good
Contents Our mission to get kids reading
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Our impact in schools
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The difference we make in hospitals
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Working together to do more
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How we are funded
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Looking ahead
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A welcome letter from Sir Tony Robinson Actor, author and Read for Good patron I am proud to be a longstanding patron of Read for Good, a superb national charity that promotes a love of reading among our nation’s children. Reading for pleasure is vitally important. It can be instrumental in helping youngsters become well-rounded individuals with good mental health and critical-thinking skills, who can eventually have a positive impact on our society as a whole.
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Reading stories allows the young to explore situations beyond their own environment and experience, building empathy and understanding, easing anxiety and stress in a way that TV, film and screens simply can’t do. It also provides an alternative pathway and improves outcomes for our most disadvantaged children. That’s why Read for Good’s work is so important. In this complex world, in which constant stimulation and instant gratification have become standard, we need a new generation of thinkers with the empathy and understanding to bring communities together and create a society in which everyone can thrive. Books and stories can enable imagination to flourish, reduce anxiety and develop consideration for others - all this while entertaining the reader with cracking stories!
26 Nailsworth Mills Avening Road Nailsworth Gloucestershire GL6 0BS tel: 01453 839005 email: reading@readforgood.org
Read for Good’s Readathon in schools has stood the test of time and is constantly evolving to meet the wave of new demands faced by teachers and children alike. In addition, its work in hospitals fills a need for books and stories amongst the most disadvantaged children in the UK, an issue we didn’t even know existed 10 years ago! Take a look through these pages and you’ll be amazed by the colossal number of kids it reaches. I welcome you to join me in supporting this wonderful charity - the next generation of children are relying on us.
Read for Good: Registered charity 1130309 (England & Wales) and SC041036 (Scotland) and Registered company 06895421. Read for Good and Readathon are registered trademarks.
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Our mission... ...is to enable all children in the UK to develop their own love of reading, benefiting them throughout their lives – for good. Children who read for pleasure are more likely to flourish academically, socially, emotionally and career-wise in today’s information-rich world. We motivate children to read for pleasure through Readathon in schools, through citywide reading campaigns and by providing a regular supply of brand new books and resident
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storytellers in all of the UK’s major children’s hospitals. We want to reach children at risk of adverse childhood experiences, including those living in poverty or in hospital, and those who need help to overcome their reading barriers; reading is an escape route, offering immediate relief and alternative pathways.
England is the lowest ranking of any English speaking country for pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, 2016
Children who do not enjoy reading are ten times more likely to fall behind at school by the time they are 11. National Literacy Trust, 2014
Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success and one of the best routes out of poverty. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2002
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IN SCHOOLS One of the reasons kids don’t read is lack of motivation.
Reading for pleasure is one of the best pathways out of poverty; if you read for fun as a child you’re more likely to One of the things that motivates kids isand helping other kids. be successful in life - academically, socially, professionally emotionally. Our aim is to provide opportunities and motivation for children to discover their own love of reading, along with the freedom to choose what they read.
Our simple (but brilliant!) idea is to link the two...
Each year:
Free Readathon kits to approx. 3000 primary and secondary schools to make running a sponsored read really easy...
...schools are rewarded with free books
...pupils choose to read anything from comics to classics, free of assessment and are motivated because the money they raise by reading helps...
(£1 million worth of vouchers given to date).
...provide a regular supply of new books and storyteller visits to over 150,000 children in the UK’s 30 major children’s hospitals in our unique
hospital programme...
Our sponsored Readathon motivates hundreds of thousands of children since 1984.
Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of in schools UK toroutes readout every year and done future success across and one the of the best of poverty (OECDhas 2002). Recent research by publisher Egmont showed:
Why it works... l
Children choose what they want to read from comics to classics; free choice makes Readathon universally accessible.
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Children ask friends and family to sponsor them to read and the money raised helps provide new books and storyteller visits for children in hospital.
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Reading to help children in hospital is uniquely motivating children will read more because they are helping other children.
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To drive pupils’ enthusiasm to continue reading after Readathon, year olds who read for 75% of schools 7-11 year olds we give free book vouchers to 10-16 buy gorgeous new books. who read for pleasure daily will be predicted
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5+ GCSEs.
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pleasure will make 4
x the progress in vocabulary, maths and spelling than those whose parents have a degree.
“It was really amazing to see the increase in borrowing figures and enthusiasm for reading right across the school.”
1 in 10 children have a School Librarian, Liverpool
mental health disorder which is likely to be improved by reading for pleasure.
Read for Good gets children reading more and when they read more, their reading attainment improves, which enhances their life chances.
...and gets results! The National Literacy Trust, the UK’s leading researcher of reading habits of children, surveyed 32,000 pupils and found that children who take part in Readathon: l enjoy reading more and read a wider variety of genres l are more likely to read something in their free time daily l have more positive attitudes towards reading l are more likely to use the school library l report higher wellbeing and life satisfaction and Readathon is especially motivating for those children eligible for Free School Meals (a proxy measure of poverty).
“We found that even reluctant readers got the reading bug.” Teacher, Carmarthenshire
Uniting entire cities in reading! We launched our first ever citywide Readathon in October 2017. Working alongside Liverpool Learning Partnership, 73 Liverpool schools and more than 20,000 children joined together in Readathon to bring books and stories to seriously ill children in Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Liverpool’s school libraries. Participating teachers said that Readathon’s ‘kids helping kids’ model is especially motivating, encouraging both reluctant and keen readers to read more.
Strength in numbers Groups of schools can run Readathon together through Academy-wide Readathons. The Diocese of Gloucester Academy Trust schools have joined forces to run Readathon, creating a buzz about reading and galvanizing its community of schools and children to unite in reading for a shared purpose.
The year ahead will see citywide Readathons in Manchester, Leicester and Liverpool.
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IN HOSPITALS
Our programme in all 30 of the UK’s children’s hospitals is utterly unique – providing resident storytellers and brand new books to seriously ill children. Books and stories are especially powerful in hospitals; they provide essential comfort, distraction, entertainment and education to children and their families, in a stressful situation. Our bespoke mobile bookcases roll right up to a child’s bedside, offering an enticing choice of germ-free books, from treasured classics to the latest bestsellers. l Our resident professional storytellers have the experience and skills to engage even the most terrified toddler or anxious teenager, helping them to relax and have fun. l Siblings who are uprooted from home and school during the family’s time in hospital are also able to choose a book to keep, enabling the whole family to share the joy of stories together. l Our bookcases and storytellers break down barriers, helping patients to become friends and feel less isolated, through sharing stories and the joy of books.
25k
brand new books provided every year
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150k ill children and their siblings reached every year
Our impact A survey of over 3,000 children in hospital shows that: 97% said the Read for Good storyteller cheered them up 98% said the storyteller made them want to read more 99% said a Read for Good book made them feel better 86% of children who don’t regularly read at home said they were encouraged to read more when they left hospital
“I love the Read for Good bookcase. It is a portal into another world, an opportunity to imagine a different reality than the one we see. It creates a playground of the imagination right in the patient’s room.” Head of Play Services, GOSH
Maisy’s Story Four year old Maisy found Read for Good’s stories brought moments of comfort whilst she was in hospital receiving treatment for cancer. Maisy was diagnosed with a childhood renal cancer known as Wilm’s tumour. The gruelling treatment has been tough for Maisy and her family, but our storyteller and books have given them moments of delight, comfort and laughter. Maisy’s mum, Lisa, told us: “Maisy had a small bump; we had no idea a near 2kg tumour lay beneath. Maisy started chemotherapy within a week of diagnosis, and has since had surgery, radiotherapy and now more chemo; she spent most of the first four months in hospital. When Read for Good storyteller Wilf visited the hospital, he immediately put Maisy at ease with his huge smile and friendly nature. He was full of fun and made Maisy laugh; she said he made her happy and she loved choosing a book to keep.” Wilf Merttens is one of 11 Read for Good storytellers who work in all 30 of the UK’s major children’s hospitals,
delighting thousands of children like Maisy. Wilf says: “When I arrived on the Oncology Ward, I was struck by the pure joy and imagination of Maisy. Kids like Maisy are having a very tough time and it continually astonishes me that somehow they don’t lose the ability to play, to be joyful or to share that joy with others. That’s why Read for Good’s work is so important - helping to facilitate play, imagination and stories at a time when these things are more important than ever.” Maisy’s mum agrees. “Read for Good delivers more than books; bringing smiles and laughter and education! Thank you Wilf and Read For Good!”
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Working together Collaborating on dynamic and innovative campaigns really gets results! We share our passion to get children reading for pleasure with other national and local charities, publishers and corporate partners. We believe that by working together we can achieve
our aims more effectively. We love to collaborate on campaigns and projects including: promoting great new children’s titles in our Readathon kits; engaging reluctant readers through films and social
media shout-outs from authors and illustrators; and by distributing donated books and comics to children in disadvantaged schools, hospitals and other organisations that support children.
Our corporate supporters include:
Generous in-kind support from:
£80k worth of children’s books donated to us
Collaborations and shared projects with:
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In the best of company We enjoy incredible support from authors and illustrators who work tirelessly to encourage children to read for pleasure. From visits to schools and hospitals, to recording video messages, they generously give their time supporting our work to get kids reading.
1.9 million people watched Sir Tony Robinson’s Readathon film on social media
“Read for Good gets whole schools reading and brings the power of stories into hospital.” Chris Riddell, OBE, Children’s Laureate 2015-2017
“Readathon is an amazing way to discover the world through reading.” Bear Grylls
Sir Tony Robinson has been patron of Read for Good since 2013. A passionate believer that stories hold the tools for success throughout life, he has helped us encourage kids to read what they want and how they want.
We’ve worked with many leading authors and illustrators including: Roald Dahl, Sir Quentin Blake, Ben Faulks, David Almond, Cressida Cowell, Danny Wallace, Sarah McIntyre, Philip Reeve, Michael Rosen, Anthony Horowitz, Tracey Corderoy, Jamie Smart, Tom Percival, Malorie Blackman and Nick Sharratt.
The offer of a visit to one lucky Readathon school from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler went viral and helped us to get thousands of schools involved in reading for fun to raise money for children in hospital.
Best-selling author and illustrator Liz Pichon visited Meridian Community Primary School to congratulate them on their pursuit of reading!
“Read for Good does absolutely fantastic work to support reading for pleasure.” Liz Pichon
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Finance Read for Good delivers programmes effectively and efficiently with a lean and agile staff team of eight, supported by a Board of Trustees, 11 freelance professional storytellers and seven regular office volunteers. We pride ourselves on ‘punching above our weight’ and ensuring exceptional value for money.
Income by category 2017-18
Expenditure by category 2017-18
School sponsored reads and Gift Aid Trust fundraising
65%
Corporate fundraising
12%
Other donations
11%
12%
Total income - £780k
School reading initiatives
47%
Hospital programme
43%
Charity costs
7%
Costs of raising funds
3%
Total expenditure - £868k (including planned capital spend projects)
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of amazing schoolchildren, teachers and librarians who help us raise funds, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of the trusts and foundations that support us. 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust Barbour Foundation Basil Samuel Charitable Trust Childwick Trust David Thomas Charitable Trust Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust Esme Mitchell Trust Forman Hardy Charitable Trust Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust Gilchrist Educational Trust GJW Turner Trust Gyde Charity Harry Bottom Charitable Trust J Reginald Corah Foundation Fund
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Jack Lane Charitable Trust James Weir Foundation John Jarrold Trust JR and SA Brooks Charitable Trust Lord Austin Trust Lord Cozens-Hardy Trust Mary Potter Convent Hospital Trust Masonic Charitable Foundation P&C Hickinbotham Charitable Trust Peter Kershaw Trust Rothley Trust Shanly Foundation Sheffield Town Trust Siobhan Dowd Trust
Sir James Knott Trust Sir James Reckitt Charity Souter Charitable Trust Taylor Family Foundation Thomas Farr Charity We are delighted to have been awarded a significant two year grant from Children in Need for work in 2018-20
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Looking ahead With exciting new initiatives planned, we’re building on our longestablished success to increase our impact where it’s most needed.
As we look forward to our next decade of making reading for fun as compelling as ever, we are listening to teachers, librarians, parents and (importantly) children to ensure the programmes we deliver are effectively meeting their changing needs in an ever more complex world.
importance of reading for pleasure and how to inspire their future pupils. l
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Expansion of our collective school Readathons which unite schools across major cities and within academy trusts in reading for fun.
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Extension of our provision of brand-new books for schools, to reach those most in need.
Here’s just a taste of some of our new initiatives in development, all designed to get kids wanting to read: l
Bespoke lectures for university Teacher Training courses helping NQTs to learn the
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Provision of professional development workshops for teachers and school librarians that help tackle the dichotomy of teaching reading for pleasure.
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Evaluation of our pilot intervention for those children defined as “nonreaders” that challenges entrenched perceptions.
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A celebration of the tenth anniversary of the launch of our much-valued hospital programme.
We are driven to motivate children to read because we know that expanding a child’s knowledge and understanding of their world through books and stories is vital for their futures now more than ever.
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“Inspiring a child to read is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.� Julia Donaldson, Author & Read for Good patron
26 Nailsworth Mills, Avening Road, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire GL6 0BS tel: 01453 839005 email: reading@readforgood.org Read for Good: Registered charity 1130309 (England & Wales) and SC041036 (Scotland) and Registered company 06895421. Read for Good and Readathon are registered trademarks.