HOMEBUILDERS’ 200 BOOKS HELP LEICESTERSHIRE SCHOOL START NEW CHAPTER

Leading developers Barratt and David Wilson Homes have helped to fund 200 books to create a fresh reading culture at Forest Lodge Academy in New Parks.

The contribution of the ‘Your Story Corner’ pack, in partnership with Bookmark and The Symondson Foundation, has provided the Charnor Road school pupils with a range of high quality reading resources.

Included within the pack is 200 books for children aged between four and nine-years-old, posters, postcards, worksheets and a certificate to help encourage reading for pleasure, as well as support and inspiration for ‘book chat’, to enhance a school’s reading culture.

The pack, worth £2,000, was given to Forest Lodge Academy with the funding from The Barratt Foundation.

Caroline Toone, English Co-ordinator at Forest Lodge Academy, said: “The children at Forest Lodge have loved our new selection of books and I have enjoyed reading them during our daily story time sessions. Thank you to everyone at Bookmark and the Barratt Foundation for providing us with such a wonderful variety of new and exciting books, we are so very grateful.”

Andy Button-Stephens (Head of the Barratt Foundation) and Sonal Henderson (Foundation Partnerships and Projects Manager) visited the school as the pupils unbox their ‘Your Story Corner’ resources.
Also in attendance were Laura Burke, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Bookmark, in addition to Fiona Symondson, Philanthropy Committee Member at The Symondson Foundation.

Andy Button-Stephens said: “It was a pleasure to spend the morning with the pupils at Forest Lodge Academy as they unpacked their ‘Your Story Corner’ resources, and we really enjoyed seeing the smiles on their faces as they received a variety of new books.

“We were able to see first-hand how the school’s pupils embrace their passion for reading and it’s a privilege to work alongside Bookmark and The Symondson Foundation and help enhance the skills and learning of children in Leicestershire.”

Researchers at the Centre for Social Justice note that 41% of Year 6 pupils in England left primary school in 2022 without meeting the expected standards in literacy and maths. More promisingly, the 2023 What Kids Are Reading report states children in the UK and Ireland read 24% more books in the last academic year.

The Barratt Foundation has committed to a significant partnership with Bookmark. Over a six-month period, Bookmark delivered 12,252 hours of reading support, supported 144 schools, and enabled 1,434 children to receive at least one full reading programme.

Laura Burke said: “Early literacy has a significant impact on a child’s education, employment, and mental health. We are incredibly grateful to the Barratt Foundation for its generous commitment to Bookmark, which is helping us to reach more children in areas of high literacy need, so that they can succeed in school and beyond.”

For more information about the work of the charity, visit the website at Bookmark.

To learn more about any nearby developments, visit the website at Barratt Homes in Leicestershire or David Wilson Homes in Leicestershire.