Making Reading
Engaging in Every
Classroom and Home

Affordable, Accessible, 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 FSM Pupils: 2.1 million pupils (24.6%) are on Free School Meals (DofE, 2024), and 1 in 5 don’t have a book at home (National Literacy Trust, 2023).
  • Educational Disparities: Kids without books show 20% lower reading proficiency compared to their peers (NLT, 2023).

Why It Matters:

  • Inequality: Giving all kids 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.

Who is Affected?

  • Primary School Teachers, Literacy Leads, School Leaders, and Families: All are struggling to provide enough reading materials.
  • FSM-Heavy Schools: In schools with over 30% of pupils on Free School Meals, 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).

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: For a school with 200 pupils, providing one new book per term to each pupil costs over £4,000 annually. Replacing worn-out or lost books adds even more.

Broader Impact:

  • Reading Proficiency: Lack of diverse, engaging books puts pupils at risk of falling behind in reading skills.
  • Long-Term Challenges: Kids 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.

Current Solutions and Their Shortcomings

Existing Efforts:

  • Libraries and Bookshelves: Schools try to maintain libraries and classroom bookshelves, but unlike prisons, 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 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.

Proof of a Better Solution

Reading Hub's 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 98% of UK children having access to a digital device at home, this ensures pupils can read outside school hours.

Proven Results:

  • Improved Literacy: In 2023, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in reading by the end of KS2. Schools using Reading Hub see an average reading age increase of 15%. For FSM-eligible pupils, this increase is 20% (Reading Hub, 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.

Addressing Disparities:

  • Cost-Effective: By providing 90 books for free, equivalent to £629 if bought physically, and over 3000 books, equivalent to £21,000 if bought physically, starting at just £199 per year, Reading Hub makes high-quality reading materials accessible and affordable for schools and families.

Testimonial

"Reading Hub has transformed the way our students engage with reading. Our pupils have so much to choose from. The 3000 eBooks cater to all of their unique interests and reading level, making it easier for us to encourage a love for reading in our classrooms. Our pupils are more excited about reading than ever before!"
Year 4 Teacher at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School
"Reading Hub has transformed the way our students engage with reading. Our pupils have so much to choose from. The 3000 eBooks cater to all of their unique interests and reading level, making it easier for us to encourage a love for reading in our classrooms. Our pupils are more excited about reading than ever before!"
Year 4 Teacher at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School
"Reading Hub has transformed the way our students engage with reading. Our pupils have so much to choose from. The 3000 eBooks cater to all of their unique interests and reading level, making it easier for us to encourage a love for reading in our classrooms. Our pupils are more excited about reading than ever before!"
Year 4 Teacher at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School
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"Together, we can bridge the literacy gap and ensure every
child has the opportunity to succeed."