Hull primary schools receive £46,000 boost for pupils’ literacy 

As part of our Your Story Corner Programme, 23 schools in Hull benefitted from £46,000 worth of literary resources, designed to boost children’s enjoyment of reading and foster a whole-school reading culture. 

This follows our nationwide initiative to drive a love of reading among children in the most disadvantaged areas. This expansion also marks a significant step forward in our vision: to ensure every child can read. 

Your Story Corner provides each participating school with: 

• 200 new, high-quality children’s books 
• Access to The Story Corner – a termly magazine for pupils 
• Exclusive CPD and Reading for Pleasure training for teachers 
• Ongoing resources to support classroom and home reading 

Our programme is designed not just to improve reading scores, but to ignite a genuine joy in reading that lasts a lifetime. 

Why Hull?

We identified Hull as a priority area – 33% of children experience higher levels of deprivation, compared to a national average of 20% (HPTC); and Key Stage 2 pupils in the area are more likely to struggle with reading than the national average (EPI) – making the region a key focus for intervention.

Spotlight on Oldfleet Primary School 

We celebrated Your Story Corner expanding to Hull with a visit to Oldfleet Primary School, where pupils were treated to a day of laughter and storytelling thanks to a special visit from children’s author, Steve Webb. 

Several pupils eagerly opened the deliveries containing 200 brand-new books and reading materials. Dennis, aged 10, commenting: ​‘I feel special. I like getting the chance to look at all these new books. I love that.’

Zofia, aged 11, said that through reading, ​‘I love that I don’t have to be in this reality. I can be on a completely different island that’s not even in the world.’

Kerry Garner, Assistant Headteacher at Oldfleet Primary School, shared: 

“We are excited to welcome Bookmark Reading Charity’s Your Story Corner Programme to our school and anticipate it will have a very positive effect on our pupils. We encourage all our children to have high aspirations for their future and know that improving their literacy levels and nurturing a love of reading is an integral part of their development.” 

Meet the author

Steve Webb spoke about his journey from illustrator to author, and why humour and imagination play a central role in his storytelling. 

Webb’s journey as an author began with drawing. ​“I started out in illustration and later tried writing stories around the things I was drawing,” he said. ​“One of these (eventually!) became my first picture book, Tanka Tanka Skunk. I’ve been writing children’s books for about 20 years.” 

Known for his energetic, humorous stories, Steve believes fun and chaos are key to reaching young readers. 

“I have always preferred funny everything. Movies, books, drawings – they’re so much more interesting to me if they have humour. And the chaos can sometime come with that. Fast and funny can be a great combination. I think this appeals to children because they are those things! They are naturally fast and funny.” 

Steve highlighted the importance of school visits in building enthusiasm for reading. 

“Meeting readers is the best. You never really know if anyone else is going to like what you’ve made until it’s out in the world. So it is fabulous to meet readers who like my books. Writing workshops in schools never cease to amaze me – the kids always have incredibly imaginative ideas and their interest and enthusiasm is inspiring.” 

His advice is simple but powerful: 

“Keep reading. Reading and writing is not only essential for our daily lives, but if you like or love reading there are so many fabulous books to entertain and inform you.” 

Steve is available for school visits through Authors Aloud UK.

Discover more about Your Story Corner

Our Your Story Corner Programme is key to support literacy development in primary schools, especially in areas with the highest levels of deprivation. Since launching, we’ve supported more than 800 schools across the country and donated over £1,640,000 worth of reading resources.