The reading skills of children from disadvantaged backgrounds are on average almost three years behind those from the most affluent homes by the time they leave compulsory schooling. Lockdown is accelerating educational inequality at an alarming rate but the problem is much bigger than the last few months. Four in every ten children in London live in households in poverty. We have been fighting inequality in education since 2010, introducing the magic and benefits of reading, to more than 1,300 children.

We find those families who fall outside other community and school services and support them by introducing reading at home. Our impact is long-lasting. Our trained volunteers encourage both parents and children to read for pleasure together from a young age. We will continue to equip children living in London’s most deprived communities with essential literacy skills, confidence and a love of reading to break the cycle of poverty, now in this crisis and in the future.