The Chapter One Online Reading Volunteers Programme has six years of experience in targeting communities with the greatest needs. Our corporate partners and their volunteers can be located anywhere in the UK, but they can choose to read online with children in one of the schools on our programme that is close to their offices or projects. This allows many of our partners to focus their support in a place-based way, zeroing in on communities where additional volunteers can make the most impact.

We are currently working with our Platinum partner Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to produce two case studies for each location where their volunteers are matched with pupils. These case studies demonstrate the overall impact of Sodexo support on children's reading, and the way they have targeted volunteer activity in specific low-income communities.

Read the impressive case studies below for children in Doncaster and Glasgow primary schools. Four more case studies will be published in the late spring and summer for children in Manchester and East Sussex.

* All names of the children have been changed

Jacob* is in Year 2 in Hill Top Primary Academy in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Compared to the national average (23.8%), Hill Top school has a higher percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (32.6%).

When Chapter One interviewed his teacher and Sodexo volunteer, Jacob had been reading online for 30 minutes a week with his volunteer reader for the first term of the school year.

Read the case study

Ryan* is in Year 1 in a primary school in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Compared to the national average (23.8%), his school has a higher percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (32.6%).

When Chapter One interviewed his teacher and Sodexo volunteer, Ryan had been reading online for 30 minutes a week with his volunteer reader for the first term of the school year.

Read the case study

Ahmed* is in Primary 2 at Blackfriars Primary School, in the heart of South Glasgow. Approximately 64% of the school population live in the two lowest areas of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Over half of the children in this school have English as an Additional Language.

When Chapter One interviewed his teacher and Sodexo volunteer, Ahmed had been participating in Chapter One’s online reading volunteer programme since October/November 2023, so for approximately four months.

Read the case study

Musa* is in Primary 2 at Blackfriars Primary School in the heart of South Glasgow. Approximately 64% of the school population live in the two lowest areas of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Over half of the children in this school have English as an Additional Language.

Musa began his Chapter One online reading sessions in November 2023. We spoke to his teacher, Jessica Cox at the beginning of February 2024 and to his Chapter One volunteer Kate Nicholl in early March 2024.

Read the case study

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.