For 6-year-old *Asra, a Year 1 pupil at Haveley Hey Community School in Manchester, books can feel more like barriers than gateways to adventure. Living in one of Manchester's most disadvantaged areas—where nearly half of all children live in poverty—Asra faces the same challenge as many of her classmates: she has significantly less exposure to books and lower reading skills than children from more socio-economically privileged backgrounds.

At Haveley Hey, the statistics tell a stark story. Over 94% of pupils live in some of the most deprived postcodes in the country, with 68% receiving pupil premium funding—three times the national average.

A volunteer steps forward
In November 2024, something changed for Asra. Through Chapter One's Online Reading Volunteers Programme, she was paired with *Ann, a dedicated volunteer from Sodexo who committed to spending 30 minutes each week reading with her. What followed is a journey that has tested both child and volunteer.

Ann quickly discovered that supporting struggling young readers "is not always easy work." But sometimes, the most meaningful transformations happen precisely when the path is most challenging.

Early struggles and small steps
At first, Asra presented a puzzle. She would breeze through complex, lengthy words with surprising ease, yet stumble over the smallest, most common words in the English language.

"You can get a really long word that she will get really easily," Ann observes. "It's the tiny words that she struggles with. She struggles with 'the', 'with', 'let' and 'get' and 'is', and 'as'."

During those early sessions, Asra was reluctant to engage. When Ann asked her to describe pictures before reading, she simply wouldn't respond. Conversation felt forced, and her attention span seemed frustratingly short. Ann faced a child who appeared capable but somehow unreachable.

The challenge of caring
As weeks turned to months, Ann demonstrated her tenacity with Asra. Asra's limited attention span meant that sessions required constant adaptation and patience. When corrections were needed, resistance would surface.

"She doesn't like it when I ask her to correct it and give her the correct way of saying it and spelling it and sounding it," Ann explains.

Some days brought particular challenges. There were moments when Asra would demand to move to the next page before mastering some of the words she was struggling with. Other times, she employed creative avoidance tactics.

"She starts singing words. She starts singing songs... It's as 'If I drown you out, you won't ask me to move on to the next’,'" Ann notes with a mixture of understanding and determination.

The power of belief
But despite these challenges, Ann did not give up. Driven by a fundamental belief in Asra's potential, she maintained her commitment week after week.

"It's a challenge [but] I actually want to help her. So, you know, there's no way I would give up," she declares. "She can do it... I want to move it to the next level."

This persistence is rooted in seeing Asra's capability and potential, even when it wasn't immediately apparent in her reading performance. Ann maintained high expectations because she believed Asra could meet them.

Breakthrough moments
Gradually, the consistent support and unwavering belief began to bear fruit. By March, Asra had progressed to a higher reading level. More importantly, the quality of her engagement began to transform.

"She's completed all the tricky words and sounds [in the platform]. She's done them all," Ann proudly reports.

Asra's comprehension skills have also blossomed. No longer is she simply decoding words; she is truly understanding and connecting with the stories.

"She has got a good comprehension of exactly what it is she's reading and understands the story that she's reading. So from that perspective, she's doing so much better than she was when we first started," Ann says.

Finding her voice
The transformation isn’t just about reading attainment. The shy child who once wouldn't describe pictures began to open up, sharing her thoughts and making connections between stories and her own life.

"She will talk about the story, and she will relate some of the story back to herself,” says Ann. “So, for example, today we were reading about the zoo, and she was telling me about when she went to the zoo."

Asra’s observations became more sophisticated too: "She was explaining to me how the cat looked worried. And how some cats are fat. Some cats are thin... so she's definitely relating more to the stories."

The joy of discovery
Perhaps most tellingly, Asra started to how genuine enjoyment in her reading sessions.

Certain activities on the Chapter One reading platform like the games Three in a Row and Word Sort became particular favourites, though Asra still showed her personality in her preferences. While she embraced story reading and word games, she remained selective about the activities that required more extensive patience—a reminder that her growth is happening at her own pace.

A testament to persistence
By April 2025, after six months of weekly sessions, Ann could confidently say: "On the whole, I think Asra is definitely reading better than she was in November."

But the success isn't just Asra's—it belongs to both child and her volunteer.

Ann's reflection captures the essence of what makes Chapter One's approach so powerful: "I mean, obviously, I'm helping a small amount. I will do as much as I can, and I enjoy it; it's so rewarding."

The bigger picture
Asra's story unfolds against the backdrop of Manchester's literacy challenges, where almost half of the city's wards fall in the top 10% of areas for literacy need nationally, and more than a quarter of pupils leave primary school unable to read well.

In this context, Asra's progress represents something profound. She's not just learning to read better; she's developing the confidence to engage with text, to make connections, and to find joy in stories. Ann - the volunteer who refused to give up - has helped prove that with the right support at the right time, every child can progress.

*The names of the child and volunteer have been changed.

Asra reads with a volunteer supported by our Platinum corporate partner the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation

Literacy and poverty rates in Manchester

Across the UK, 30% of children are living in poverty; in Manchester this rises to 47.9% (2022-23).

Analysis by the National Literacy Trust and Experian in 2017 found that almost half of the wards in Manchester fall in the top 10% of areas for literacy need in the whole country and more than a quarter of pupils in Manchester leave primary school unable to read well.

How can companies get involved in Chapter One?

Chapter One’s virtual, time-efficient, flexible model for volunteering will enhance your company’s employee value proposition, whilst fulfilling CSR or social value commitments around education, social mobility and inclusion. Employees can:

- volunteer online directly from their desks with no travel

- make a direct impact on the lives of children from disadvantaged communities

- support local communities across the UK

- improve their own well-being by helping others

- reconnect with your company’s social purpose

If you’re interested in joining us, we’d love to hear from you! You’ll find out who we currently work with on our partners’ page. You can contact us here or email sarah.taylor@chapterone.org.