Making reading
accessible in every
classroom and home

Affordable, engaging, and effective reading solutions
for primary schools.

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What is the problem?

  • Budget cuts: Schools can’t always afford enough books for classrooms or home.
  • Impact on pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM): 2.1 million pupils (24.6%) are eligible for FSM (DofE, 2024), and 1 in 5 don’t have a book at home (National Literacy Trust, 2023).
  • Educational disparities: Children without books show 20% lower reading proficiency compared to their peers (NLT, 2023).

Why it matters:

  • Inequality: Giving all children access to books in school and at home is essential to ensure that every child has the opportunity to develop a love for reading and learning.

Why Reading Hub offers a better solution

Impact:

  • Affordable access: Provides 90 free books (worth £629) and over 3000 books (worth £21,000) starting at just £199 per year in school and at home.
  • Digital convenience: Books available through an app on phones, tablets, and PCs in school and at home. With over 90% of children globally having access to digital devices, our platform ensures that pupils can continue their reading journey beyond school hours (International Telecommunication Union, 2023).

Proven results:

  • Improved literacy: In 2023, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in reading by the time they left primary school. Schools using Reading Hub see an average reading age increase of 15%. For FSM-eligible pupils, this increase is 20% (Reading Hub impact report, 2024).
  • Teacher and parent approval: Teachers find it easy to integrate into the curriculum, and pupils are highly engaged. Teachers can monitor engagement with a unique dashboard for each pupil and parents are kept informed with digital reading logs. (Reading Hub impact report, 2024).
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Who is affected?

  • Primary School Teachers, School Leadership, and families: All are struggling to provide enough reading materials.
  • FSM-heavy schools: In schools with over 30% of pupils eligible for FSM, there’s a big lack of books, making it hard to teach literacy effectively (NLT, 2023).
  • Daily challenges: Teachers and leaders work hard to ensure all pupils have equal access to quality reading materials.
  • Concerns: 70% of Literacy Leads worry about the growing literacy gap among disadvantaged pupils (Education Policy Institute, 2023).
  • Budget strains: Schools often spend up to 20% of their budget on extra reading materials, but it’s still not enough (DofE, 2023).

Why current solutions aren't working

Existing efforts:

  • Libraries and bookshelves: Schools try to maintain libraries and classroom bookshelves but libraries in primary schools aren’t mandatory. Tight budgets often deprioritise libraries.

Inconsistent solutions:

  • Donations and fundraising: Schools rely on these for new books, but they are unpredictable and often inadequate.
  • Teachers’ personal expenses: Some teachers buy books with their own money, which isn’t sustainable or fair.

Challenges faced:

  • Insufficient copies: Not enough books for every pupil, leading to shared resources and reduced individual engagement.
  • Limited home reading: Few books are available for pupils to take home, hindering their ability to read outside school hours.

Why they fail:

  • Lack of consistency: Current methods don’t reliably provide quality reading materials.
  • Not fit for purpose: Solutions aren’t cost-effective or engaging.
  • Educational disparities: These inadequacies perpetuate inequality and hinder literacy improvement for disadvantaged pupils.

The true cost of limited resources

Financial impact:

  • High costs: The average children’s book costs £6.99. Schools spend thousands annually to build and maintain a library.
  • Annual expenses: Schools are spending upwards of £7,000 just to replace and update their school libraries and classrooms.

Broader impact:

  • Reading proficiency: Lack of diverse, engaging books puts pupils at risk of falling behind in reading skills.
  • Long-term challenges: Children who fall behind in reading often face ongoing academic struggles (NLT, 2023).
  • Cycle of inequality: Insufficient reading materials perpetuate educational disparities, limiting future opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.

What our schools are saying

"The pupils are more enthusiastic about reading, and the detailed analytics help me tailor support to each child's needs. It’s been particularly beneficial in our mixed-year classes, where finding books that engage everyone used to be a challenge. Now, every pupil can find something they love, and I can see their progress in real-time. Reading Hub is an invaluable resource for our school."
Literacy Lead, Wraxall Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
"Reading Hub has made a huge difference in our reading sessions. The kids are more engaged and eager to read, and I can easily track their engagement with the detailed analytics. It's been especially helpful in catering to different reading levels and interests within the same class."
Year 4 Teacher, Churchfield Primary School
"Finding books that interest my son has always been a challenge. With Reading Hub, he has access to a huge variety of books, and he’s genuinely excited to read every day. It’s been wonderful to see him so engaged and making progress in his reading. The app is really easy to use, and it’s made supporting his reading at home so much easier."
Parent of Year 2 Pupil, Ashley Primary School
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Books in the hands of pupils, power in the hands of teachers

Empower your pupils with the gift of reading. Join the hundreds of schools that have already experienced the transformative impact of Reading Hub. 


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"Together, we can bridge the literacy gap and ensure every
child has the opportunity to succeed."