Bookmark Reading’s Your Story Corner Project
17th January 2024
I might be biased, and I probably am, but one of Bookmark Reading’s greatest accomplishments is the Your Story Corner project. Why am I biased? Well, since the Summer of 2022, I have had the privilege and pleasure of running the project in Nottingham, Plymouth, Leicester and now most recently Sheffield.
The Your Story Corner project aims to give schools in areas of historical low literacy and deprivation, the chance to develop a whole school reading culture and embed a love of reading into the lives of their pupils. For us here at Bookmark Reading, a whole school reading culture puts reading at the heart of learning and celebrates, champions and encourages reading at every opportunity. Children who are part of a rich reading culture will be more likely to identify as readers, be motivated to read and enjoy reading.
According to the OECD, a love of reading is a stronger indicator of educational attainment than a child’s socio-economic status (2021, 21st-Century Readers: Developing Literacy Skills in a Digital World | READ online) so encouraging a love of books and giving schools the tools they need to embed this for all their pupils simply could not be more important.
Each Your Story Corner pack includes 200 brand-new high-quality books that make an incredible impact, both in the long and short term. We focus on including diverse authors, so children can see themselves represented in the heroes they read about. By including a wide range of genres in the packs, such as plenty of poetry, non-fiction titles and graphic novels, we make sure children find something that sparks their interest, maybe for the first time.
These packs put reading firmly at the top of the school’s agenda, generating a buzz around reading and helping children who might otherwise be reluctant to read, or lacking confidence in their reading, make huge strides towards enjoying the world of books and what that will unlock for them.
With the help of so many fantastic supporters like Browns Books, we’ve delivered over 52,000 books to 263 schools across the country and we’re looking forward to only increasing this number in years to come.
We’ve received such amazing feedback from teachers across the country, sharing what they have found valuable in their pack and the impact it’s had on the children they support. 100% of teachers in Nottingham and Plymouth agreed that Your Story Corner made a positive difference to reading enjoyment in their schools, and 99% of teachers in Leicester agreed with them.
Take a look at some of the stories below!
- Bookmark donates £224k worth of new books to schools in Leicestershire
- 81 Plymouth Primary Schools receive Your Story Corner packs worth £2,000 from Bookmark
If you’re interested in finding out more about this amazing project, or about Bookmark Reading, please head to our website (Bookmark Reading) or get in touch info@bookmarkreading.org.
Beatrix Stafford-Smith, Head of Schools at Bookmark Reading
