Chapter One UK Information

Chapter One is a reading charity on a mission to give every child the will and the skill to read. We believe that when businesses, schools and volunteers unite, we create lasting change. The need is real. Today, just 1 in 3 children aged 8 to 18 enjoy reading — the lowest figure in 20 years (National Literacy Trust, 2025). By age 11, 37% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard (Department for Education, 2025). The window to close that gap is short. Our flagship award-winning Online Reading Volunteers Programme pairs corporate volunteers one-to-one with children aged 5–8 for 30 minutes a week throughout the school year. Using our bespoke online platform, volunteers connect from their workplace or home to a child on a dedicated classroom laptop. In 2024-25, 91% of children participating in the Online Reading Volunteers Programme made improvements in their reading knowledge and functional skills and 96% of teachers believed that Chapter One was beneficial to their pupils. We also deliver two further programmes that support children across the primary reading journey: Early Literacy Intervention builds phonics foundations for children in Reception and Year 1, before gaps widen. In 2024-25, ELI children achieved a 95% average pass rate in the national Phonics Screening Check, consistently outperforming their peers. Book Clubs re-engage reluctant readers in Years 4 and 5 through informal, choice-led sessions supported by a trained facilitator and corporate volunteers. In 2024-25, 2,957 volunteers from 149 corporate partners gave 2.8 years' worth of reading support to 3,388 children across 113 schools in 12 regions. 2026 is the National Year of Reading and we're going all in. Come and join us.