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Getting on board with books: The Book Bus and Liverpool City of Readers tour schools to promote reading for pleasure

Written by Emma Walsh, 18th March 2016

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Enterprise South Liverpool Academy - Tuesday 22 - between 9:00 and 11:00

ESLA School classes on board the Book Bus, driven by Chairman David Gordon, plus visiting school Stockton Heath

Next week in an exciting partnership, The Book Bus charity and Liverpool City of Readers will be working with Liverpool schools to inspire children to read for pleasure, helping to raise reading standards across the city.

Schoolchildren in north, south and central Liverpool will find out more about the value of reading and literacy, by learning about The Book Bus’s work supplying books and making them accessible to children in disadvantaged communities in Africa and South America.

The school classes, which will range from Foundation to Key Stage 2, will also have an opportunity to explore one of The Book Bus’s mobile libraries which is on its UK roadshow, and be inspired to discover books outside the national curriculum and to read outside of school hours.

Jane Davis, Director of Liverpool City of Readers and Founder & Director of The Reader charity, says of the project:

"We are really excited to be jumping on board with The Book Bus, and showing Liverpool’s schoolchildren just how life-changing books can be. The Institute of Education, London University has shown that reading for pleasure increases abilities in spelling and vocabulary and even maths, so a love of books can start our kids on the road to higher attainment at school – and beyond."

David Gordon, Chairman of The Book Bus, says:

"We are proud to be playing our part in the Liverpool City of Readers initiative. Our Book Buses work every day internationally to support local teachers delivering literacy programmes to the next generation of readers. We are delighted to be working with The Reader and Liverpool City Council on bringing the joy of books to Liverpool's young people."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

About The Book Bus

One in six adults around the world have come through childhood unable to read and write, due mainly to a lack of books and opportunity to read. The Book Bus was founded by publisher Tom Maschler with the aim of supplying books and making them accessible to children to help get more children reading and therefore be able to make more choices about their own lives.

In 2008 the Book Bus began delivering books to schools in Zambia and working with children to inspire them to read. Ten years on and we have opened reading schemes in Zambia, Malawi, and Ecuador where over 100,000 children now have books that are relevant and accessible to read. www.thebookbus.org

About Liverpool City of Readers

Liverpool City of Readers is a Liverpool Learning Partnership initiative, joint-funded by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Learning Partnership, and delivered by The Reader. The campaign aims to transform Liverpool into the UK’s foremost reading city, and to develop a generation of readers who will take the power of great books into the future. www.cityofreaders.org

About The Reader

The Reader is a charity that addresses social isolation and breaks down barriers to enjoying literature through Shared Reading, making reading a communal and accessible activity. Every week in commissioned projects across the UK, we’re running Shared Reading groups in a wide range of health, criminal justice and education settings including care homes, libraries, schools, prisons, mental health wards and community centres. We read stories and poems aloud and invite people to share their personal responses in the group, building a supportive network for group members. Individual and social outcomes are significant: in a community project funded by Liverpool CCG, 49% of reading group participants say they now visit the GP less frequently thanks to the groups. www.thereader.org.uk

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