Literacy Partner Programme
At Bookmark, we know that literacy isn’t a one-size fits all. Our Literacy Partner Programme enables us to support schools to develop a whole-school reading culture, addressing their particular challenges.
Apply for the Literacy Partner Programme
Application for next year’s cohort are now open. The programme will run from January 2027 to December 2028.
By applying now, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the Bookmark Team to find out about more support.
Explore our One-to-one Reading Programme, which offers support for children in years one to six who are at risk of not meeting the expected standard for reading.
Literacy support for your school
In 2024, Bookmark launched the Literacy Partner Programme. Following an in-depth literacy consultation, we provide tailored action plans to schools to help them improve their whole-school reading cultures. This action plan is accompanied by targeted funding of up to £10,000 per school.
We just want to say a HUGE thank you! The books that we have received are absolutely gorgeous!! I've just spent a good half an hour looking through them and they are perfect for our context. We have massively appreciated the support over the past few months - it's been incredible. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What does the programme do?
The programme aims to provide direct and targeted literacy support for primary schools in areas of high literacy need and is free of charge, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Through this project, we’ll provide comprehensive literacy consultancy and develop detailed action plans, including one-to-one reading sessions with our volunteers, aimed at enhancing the overall reading environment within primary schools. Our focus is on fostering a love for reading and improving literacy outcomes for all students.
Our programme’s impact in 2024/25
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100%
of schools from the programme’s first cohort reported that one year in, the Literacy Partner Programme has helped improve the quality of resources in their school
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80%
of schools in the programme’s first cohort reported that it has improved the “reading buzz” in their school
The process
For schools joining the programme, the process will start with a simple questionnaire. This will serve as a preliminary assessment of the school’s current reading culture.
Following this, we’ll conduct interviews with successful school representatives to delve deeper into five key areas including parental and family engagement, staff training and knowledge, current and past reading initiatives and the reading material and spaces available at the school.
Based on the insights gathered during this assessment, we’ll collaborate with each school to identify specific areas that require further literacy support and build a free, bespoke package of support worth up to £10,000.
These are the types of services and resources a school on the programme could expect to receive.
- Bookmark's volunteer-led one-to-one reading programmes
- Library space contributions e.g. furniture, shelving, displays
- School subscriptions to different kinds of literacy interventions
- Partnering with other organisations to provide expertise in literacy support and/or physical resources
- Teaching inspiration ideas and CPD training
- Book bundles, audiobooks and copies of The Story Corner magazine
- Bookmark reading scrapbooks and book clubs
- Book fairs and author visits
Data collection
We ask for information from partner schools at the start of our Literacy Partner Programme as well as mid-way through and at the end of it. This is to understand the lasting impact that has been made on a whole-school’s reading culture. We collect data through questionnaires, interviews and attainment data with some schools also participating in case studies.
Our eligibility criteria is primary schools in England with less than 500 pupils on roll, who have Pupil Premium and Income Deprivation Affection Children Index (IDACI) figures above the national average, along with Key Stage 2 reading attainment below the national average in two out of the three last years.
If you are unsure whether you meet these criteria, please contact programmedevelopment@bookmarkreading.org.
Find out more about our programmes
We partner with schools to develop a whole-school reading culture and provide one-to-one reading support.
Testimonials
Discover the impact of our Literacy Partner Programme
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What you’ll be able to provide for us will be so meaningful for our families and our children. And we're very, very grateful and so genuinely thank you so much... this will make such a significant difference in developing our children’s passion for reading, especially in such a deprived area. Thank you for this invaluable opportunity!
Assistant Headteacher at John Henry Newman Academy 
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We are extremely pleased with the support we’ve received so far and truly can’t recommend the programme highly enough. Everything provided has been of real value and is making a noticeable difference across the school.
Teacher, Bookmark partner school 
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Thank you so much for sharing our Action Plan and for the effort your team has put into tailoring it to our school’s needs. Having reviewed it, I’m thrilled with the thoughtful and clear steps outlined to boost our reading culture. The focus on staff development and engaging our school community is particularly exciting, and I can already see the positive impact this will have on our pupils. [...] We’re absolutely thrilled and deeply grateful for this incredible opportunity, and we can’t wait to see the impact of this partnership!
Deputy Head and English Lead at Heath Primary School 
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The Literacy Partner Programme has supported the development of our whole-school reading culture in several meaningful ways… Together, these elements have created a more positive, engaging, and consistent reading culture across the school.
Teacher, Bookmark partner school 