Breaking the cycle: how volunteers with EAL experience are helping children build confidence

Children who use English as an additional language (EAL) often face extra barriers on their reading journey – but with the right support, those barriers don’t have to define their story. In England, around 21% of primary school pupils use EAL (1) and in London the picture is even more striking: nearly half of schools have more than 50% of pupils who use EAL (2). For children navigating more than one language, reading can feel more overwhelming and expressing their difficulties in the classroom can be more complex too.

At Bookmark, we know that the right support at the right time can change a child’s story. For volunteers on our One-to-one Reading Programme like Shaksita and Gemma, that mission is deeply personal. Both grew up as EAL learners, so understand how struggling with reading can affect children’s confidence. Now, they bring their experience into their One-to-one Reading Programmes, creating calm, encouraging spaces where children can enjoy stories and develop their literacy skills.

Shaksita’s story: understanding why early literacy matters

Shaksita’s parents emigrated to the UK and she grew up speaking Gujarati, mixed with Hindi, as her first language. She started school only knowing a few words of English. Some of her earliest memories of reading are from her school library: she didn’t have many books at home and would spend her lunch breaks discovering stories she couldn’t access elsewhere. Reflecting back on these early school years, she remembers how distressing it was not being able to explain simple things to her teacher.

‘It was my first exposure of ​‘I don’t speak the same language, people might find it difficult to understand what I say.”’

As a child, that sometimes meant staying quiet rather than risking getting things wrong:

‘Through primary school, I’d say most people probably assumed I was a shy child. That’s not true at all. But I think when you’re grappling with some of those challenges, it makes it really difficult to know how to express yourself.’

Shaksita also saw, up close, what literacy challenges can mean in adult life. Her mum arrived in the UK at 21 without speaking English and struggled with everyday tasks that many people take for granted. That experience stayed with Shaksita and shaped her motivations around her volunteering today.

‘Seeing my mum struggle and not be able to do things like fill in forms… has made me more aware of what the limitations of not being able to read at a certain point in your life become.’

Because of these experiences, Shaksita is motivated to help other children gain the reading skills they need for life by the time they leave primary school. She knows that when reading feels hard, it can feel like a chore for children – so she combats this by focusing on joy in her sessions.

‘It’s trying to inject that enjoyment into reading… so it doesn’t always feel like it’s going to be this tough, hard, big thing that you’ve got to deal with.’

By focusing on reading for pleasure, Shaksita is helping children develop a lifelong relationship with reading.

Gemma’s story: finding her voice through reading confidence

Gemma moved to the UK from Italy when she was 10-years-old and went straight into Year 6. She had picked up some English from school and TV, but arriving in an English classroom still felt overwhelming. Suddenly, she was surrounded by fluent English speakers and had to try to keep up with lessons, classrooms and friendships with much more limited language.

She describes how difficult it was not just to read and write, but to express who she was. When you do not yet have the words, even simple things – joining in, making friends and sharing your thoughts – can feel out of reach.

‘When you don’t have the words to express yourself, or you have the words but they’re not quite sticking together in a way that makes sense, it massively knocks down your confidence.’

Gemma remembers how much changed once her reading and language skills improved. By secondary school, she was beginning to branch out, join student leadership activities and feel more like herself again.

‘When you start learning more and are able to express yourself more, you get to find other people who are interested in similar things to you.’

Today, Gemma brings that empathy into her Bookmark sessions. She knows that one-to-one reading support isn’t just about correcting mistakes – it’s about encouragement, patience and helping a child feel seen. For her, creating a space where reading is personal, calm and enjoyable is central to helping children build belief in themselves.

“I know that reading is hard. It can be really challenging. I have that knowledge and understanding and I remind my reader that they’re doing a great job.”

How could your story make a difference?

No two Bookmark volunteers are the same and that is something we want to celebrate. The experiences our volunteers bring – of language, identity, challenge, resilience and joy – help shape reading sessions that are full of understanding and connection. For children who may be struggling to find reading, this support is transformative.