£58,000 invested in Stoke primary schools in major literacy drive

We’re proud to launch our Roots to Reading programme in Stoke-on-Trent this week – a major step in our mission to improve children’s literacy. 

We delivered 5,800 brand-new books to 29 primary schools, alongside literacy resources to help bring reading to life across classrooms. That’s approximately £58,000 worth of resources for Stokes” school libraries, pupils, and future readers 

What is Roots to Reading? 

Our Roots to Reading programme aims to support schools to build a strong reading for pleasure culture across the whole school. By gifting hundreds of new and diverse books, we give children the chance to find something they truly enjoy, which in turn will strengthen their reading and literacy skills in school and beyond. 

Why Stoke?

We focus our programmes where they’re needed most. We identified Stoke as an area in need of our support because of their: 

• KS2 attainment which was 3.2% below the national average (70.8% compared to 74% respectively)
• The average IDACI score was 25.3% above the national average (16%)
• The average pupil premium was 38.2% above average (24.1%). 
• Deprivation was also higher than average when measuring household and income deprivation, and crimes per 1,000 people. 

Given this, almost 40% of schools in the area met the criteria for our Roots to Reading programme – some of the highest figures we’ve seen in our research and the lowest ranking across the whole of the West Midlands. 

We focus our programmes in areas of higher deprivation, because we want to allocate our resources in areas that need them most – because when children have access to a range of reading materials, it can transform how they feel about reading and unlock their full potential. 

Launch day at St John’s CE (A) Primary School

We celebrated this special occasion at St John’s CE (A) Primary School, joined by the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Joan Bell, who was there to help mark the launch and show support for improving children’s literacy across the city. Pupils were eager to unbox their delivery of 200 brand-new books. 

Children eagerly browsed the titles, swapping recommendations and diving straight into reading. One pupil even headed straight to the reading corner to begin their new book on the spot. 

Two children captured the moment perfectly: ​“It’s amazing!” and “[books] fill you with imagination!” 

It was fantastic to see so many children enthusiastic about reading – it really brought to life the work we do here at Bookmark. 

St John’s English Lead, Jo Hawkes, shared that while the school already prioritises reading for pleasure, the arrival of new materials opens up access to a wider, more diverse range of books – giving children even more opportunities to discover stories that truly excite and engage them. 

As a Bookmark partner school, St John’s also benefits from our wider literacy support, with some pupils taking part in our One-to-one Reading Programme, where trained volunteers provide regular, individual reading support to help build confidence and literacy. 

Together, this shows the school’s strong commitment to improving children’s literacy – combining a whole-school approach to reading for pleasure with targeted, individual support, delivered in partnership with Bookmark. 

Inspiring a love of reading through author visits

As part of the launch, pupils also enjoyed a day of inspiring workshops by Gloucestershire-based children’s author, John Dougherty. Each year group enjoyed lively storytelling sessions and Q&As, bringing books to life and showing children that reading is something they can connect with and enjoy. 

John emphasised the importance of encouraging reading for pleasure – especially amongst children. He said: ​“you introduce them to things they want to read and there’s no stopping them!” 

He also highlighted why school visits matter: 

“It’s a real buzz to read out loud something you’ve written and see an audience enjoying it… And I love the Q&A aspect of my sessions – the questions can be really insightful and challenging.” 

Through experiences like this, pupils see that reading is creative, exciting and belongs to everyone. 

Children also received signed copies of John’s books, included as part of their Roots to Reading packs – helping to make reading feel even more special. 

Why reading for pleasure matters more than ever

National Literacy Trust’s latest research shows a small rise in reading enjoyment after four years of decline: more than 1 in 3 (36.1%) children and young people said they enjoy reading in their free time, up from 32.7% in 2025. 

But the bigger picture tells us there’s still a long way to go. 

• Reading enjoyment levels are a long way from historic highs, with reading enjoyment down 15.3 percentage points over the past 21 years.
• A continued decline in reading enjoyment among younger children (ages 5 – 8), despite overall enjoyment remaining relatively high (61.6%)
• Widening inequality, with smaller gains for children eligible for free school meals (+1.1 per person) than their peers (+4.3 per person) 

Our Head of Impact and Evaluation, Lisa Constance, says: 
 
​“It’s encouraging to see early signs of improvement, but these findings underline the continued need for action. Our evidence shows that increasing access to high-quality, diverse books – alongside sustained support for schools to engage families in reading – helps build the foundations of a lasting whole-school reading culture. Dedicated time to read, with consistent, safe one-to-one support, is central to shaping children’s reading journeys.” 
 
Because when reading feels relevant – and children feel supported – a lifelong love of reading can grow. 

With around £58,000 invested, thousands of new books in classrooms and a renewed focus on reading for pleasure, we’re excited to see the impact our Roots to Reading programme will have – not only on pupils’ reading engagement and long-term attainment outcomes, but also in building a lasting, whole-school reading culture.