Schoolreaders Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary at the House of Commons - Gyles Brandreth Leads Celebrations Honouring a Decade of Literacy Support

Schoolreaders recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a reception at the House of Commons! The special occasion was hosted by Richard Fuller MP, and attended by the charity’s Patron, author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. Her Majesty the Queen also provided a message of support to the charity.  

The event was an important milestone for the charity, recognising the dedication of its volunteers and supporters who have played a crucial role in helping improve children’s literacy in primary schools across the country. Since its founding in 2014, Schoolreaders has provided over 80,000 children with one-to-one reading support sessions, helping to bridge the literacy gap and giving these children the opportunity to improve their literacy and life-chances. More than 2,000,000 individual reading support sessions have been given by Schoolreaders Volunteers.

Gyles Brandreth, charity Patron and huge advocate of the importance of literacy, said; “Reading is everything, you have to be able to read to survive in life, and certainly to thrive in life. It’s a privilege to be part of such a meaningful initiative, and I’m thrilled to be here to celebrate 10 years of this important work.”

Gyles Brandreth also delivered a surprise during his speech, a message of support from Her Majesty Queen Camilla who passed on her warmest good wishes upon being delighted to hear about the charity’s positive impact.

Sally Wrampling made her first appearance as CEO, as she takes over from Jane Whitbread who founded the charity. Under Jane’s leadership, in ten years Schoolreaders has grown from a small ‘kitchen table’ initiative into a nationwide organisation with over 2,700 active volunteers, working across 1 in 6 primary schools in England.

Sally said;

“It is an honour to carry forward the incredible work that Schoolreaders has been doing for the last ten years. Jane Whitbread’s passion for children’s literacy has transformed many lives already. I look forward to leading Schoolreaders into the next chapter, ensuring we reach even more children who need our support.”

Jane Whitbread, who remains in post as the Schoolreaders Chair of Trustees, was also

present to share her reflections on the past decade:

“Our volunteers have made such a difference, and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved through an exceptional amount of hard work and generosity from so many people. I’m confident Sally Wrampling will continue to take the charity from strength to strength.”

The event served as both a celebration of Schoolreaders’ achievements and a call to action for continued support, as literacy challenges remain a pressing issue in England. With one in four children leaving primary school unable to read to the expected level, Schoolreaders remains committed to its mission of providing every child with the opportunity to learn to read well.