Schoolreaders

Resource type: Reading mentors

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2

Region(s): England

Schoolreaders recruits, places and supports volunteers to go into local primary schools to provide one-to-one reading sessions for children who need additional help with their reading or motivation to read.

Schoolreaders actively recruits volunteers to meet each school’s specific requirements, and schools can request as many volunteers as they need. Before starting, all volunteers must complete Schoolreaders’ online safeguarding training.

Volunteers commit to working with their partner school for a full year from when they start, coming in at an agreed time on the same day each week for at least one hour. Once a school has accepted a volunteer, the school is responsible for carrying out an Enhanced DBS check before the volunteer begins. The school is also responsible for providing any school-specific safeguarding training and any additional guidance that the volunteer may need.

Cost: Free (schools are responsible for the cost of each volunteer’s Enhanced DBS check).

About Schoolreaders: Founded in 2013, Schoolreaders currently has over 4,200 volunteers and works with schools across England. More than 1 in 5 primary schools in England are currently Schoolreaders partner schools.

Literacy Hive Likes:

Schoolreaders’ free service is available to all state-funded primary schools.
Schools can build a team of volunteers to support pupils with a wide range of reading abilities across all primary year groups.
Schoolreaders hosts free online events with best-selling authors and illustrators for its partner schools.
In 2025, 94% of schools reported increased reading confidence among pupils who worked with a volunteer, 83% reported improvements in reading fluency, and 82% saw an increase in reading enjoyment.