When's my session?" The eagerness in *Charlie's voice when he asks about his reading time brings a smile to his teacher's face. For a Year 1 pupil at Thornhill School in Islington who started the year feeling anxious about reading, this enthusiasm marks an incredible change.

At the beginning of the school year, Charlie's teacher Mr Lawson noticed how he struggled with picking up sounds, his confidence low when faced with new words. Victoria Eames, his Chapter One volunteer from Sodexo, remembers meeting a "reluctant reader" in those first sessions together. But she also saw something special in their weekly meetings.

"He's very chatty," Victoria shares warmly. "We talk about the stories, but also about his interests and what he's been up to." It's this connection - the comfortable space to explore books together without pressure - that helped Charlie begin to flourish. Victoria noticed how he is becoming more engaged with each session, their conversations growing alongside his reading confidence.

Back in the classroom, Mr Lawson has been watching a remarkable transformation unfold. "The fluency in his reading - definitely!" he exclaims when asked about the biggest change. Charlie's newfound confidence shows in unexpected ways. Where once he would "come to a grinding halt" at unfamiliar words, now he tackles reading assessments independently, persisting even when he encounters challenging vocabulary.

Victoria has seen the change in their sessions too. What started as hesitant reading has evolved into animated storytelling, with Charlie eager to share his thoughts about the books they read together. "When I asked if he was looking forward to his half-term holiday," Victoria recalls, "he told me 'I'm going to miss you. I'm going to miss doing this on my holidays.'" It's a small moment that speaks volumes about how reading has become something Charlie looks forward to, rather than fears.

The impact reaches beyond the classroom. "Charlie is now a really confident reader," his parent shares proudly. "Even if he doesn't get the words with the first try, he doesn't give up until he can say the sentence, which is great." Now he actively chooses books to read with his family, showing how his growing confidence has transformed reading from a challenge into an activity he enjoys sharing with others. “We have gone from having a child who would cry if I asked him to read me some pages,” his parent says,“to a child who enjoys selecting a book and reading it to me and his brother.”

In Islington, all local wards are identified as at risk of low literacy. Against this backdrop, Charlie's progress illuminates what's possible. At Thornhill School, these Chapter One weekly reading sessions are helping bridge crucial gaps between struggling readers and their peers. Mr Lawson's assessment is straightforward: "I'm a huge fan of Chapter One... the impact there is just plain to see. Reading with different people, reading different stories as well... How can it not help them?"

For Charlie, reading weekly with Victoria is helping turn anxiety into enthusiasm and reluctance into joy.

* Charlie is not the pupil's real name

Charlie reads with Victoria Eames, supported by our Platinum corporate partner the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation

Literacy and poverty rates in Islington

Thornhill School is situated in Islington, London. Compared to the national average (24.6%), Thornhill school has a higher percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (39.1%). A challenge for the school is the underachievement of disadvantaged pupils in comparison to their non-disadvantaged peers in regard to meeting the expected standards. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) (2019) ranked Islington as the 53rd (out of 317) most deprived local authority areas in England. In 2022-23, 38.4% of children in Islington were living in poverty, against a UK rate of 30%. Literacy levels also present a challenge. Islington was selected for a project called ‘Get Islington Reading’ (2020-23), focused on supporting children to develop positive attitudes towards reading. Islington was selected for this project due to low literacy levels - 100% of the borough’s wards were identified as being most at risk of low literacy and almost a fifth of children were unable to read well.

Sources: End Child Poverty, National Literacy Trust, HM Government

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.