Pupils in 524 primary schools in England, Scotland and Wales will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 3 March with a bundle of new books for their school library, donated by the Morrisons Foundation in partnership with us.
Over 5,000 books are being donated to school libraries as part of the partnership between the two charities to help inspire and nurture a love of reading for over 130,000 primary school children who will benefit directly from this project.
In 2019, one in four (27%) 11-year-olds in England left primary school not reading at the expected level, rising to 2 in 5 (42%) disadvantaged children. Although efforts have been made to narrow this gap in attainment, there are concerns that the long-lasting effects of the disruption to education caused by COVID-19 may reverse the progress made in the last decade.
By working in partnership to donate books to communities across the country, we aim to support children’s literacy recovery with Morrisons Foundation by investing in their school libraries post-pandemic.
“We’re delighted to be teaming up with the National Literacy Trust again to provide books to hundreds of schools across our local communities. We hope these books will provide enjoyment to children and help to boost their reading and literacy skills.”
David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee
“World Book Day is a great reminder of how important children’s literacy is in developing their skills for the future. Our research suggests that around 400,000 children don’t have a book of their own, so we’re delighted that Morrisons Foundation have chosen our charity again and will be donating books to hundreds of school libraries, providing fun and enjoyment to children.”
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust
The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarket in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help improve people’s lives. Since launching, over £35 million has been donated to charities across England, Scotland and Wales.