The Hargreaves Foundation supports Chapter One

The Hargreaves Foundation is pleased to announce funding has been awarded to Chapter One. They are seeking funding for a pilot Book Club project aimed at inspiring reading for pleasure among 48 reluctant readers aged 8-11 in London and Peterborough. The project addresses the marked decline in reading for pleasure among children as they progress through school.

The pilot project will partner with four primary schools to deliver weekly 30 minute book club sessions over 10 weeks, led by trained Reading Facilitators and supported by corporate volunteers. The sessions will encourage children to choose books, engage in discussions, and participate in activities that foster a love of reading. The project will also evaluate the effectiveness of using external facilitators versus incorporating corporate volunteers.

The funding will cover project management, reading facilitator costs, book boxes, training, evaluation by the Open University, and overheads. Chapter One has received lots of positive feedback from teachers. The goal is to improve children’s reading attitudes and behaviours, recruit and train volunteers, and develop a plan to scale the project to other schools.