LoveReading exists because reading matters, and books change lives. 

It’s well-documented that reading for pleasure, and improving reading standards, has a huge impact on children’s wellbeing, academic achievements, and future success.

But the sad truth is, cuts to school funding means many children don’t have access to well-stocked libraries. Many don’t get to experience the magic of reading that may well have made you a reader for life.

School libraries face a chronic lack of investment, with the most disadvantaged communities most affected: 1 in 8 primary schools in England do not have a library, and this jumps to 1 in 4 schools with a higher proportion of children on free school meals.

Today we announce a new scheme, which further augments our schools offering making it even easier for us to support schools across the nation.

The LoveReading4Kids Funding for Schools Scheme accepts applications from state funded schools in the UK.  Primaries, secondaries and early years’ settings are all eligible to apply.

Schools can apply for between £1,000 and £5,000 and we fund books with a specific focus on reading for pleasure. 

Areas for consideration on selecting schools for funding will include schools with income deprivation or cultural deprivation, a high percentage of FSM / PP, a high IMD score on IDACI, poor literacy levels and schools looking to improve standards.

The funding scheme was launched today, with an announcement of the first donation to a primary school in Mansfield, an area with high levels of deprivation. Jan Warner, Reading Lead at the school commented: “At Oak Tree, we are keen to not only teach our pupils to read, but also strive to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Through our regular 'Reading for Pleasure' slots on the timetable, we are able to share books simply to enjoy them and ignite the children's imaginations. This is particularly important for those children who do not have access to quality books at home. Thanks to a very generous grant from LoveReading4Kids, we have been able to enhance the range of books available for our committed teachers to share with the children. The helpful book recommendations on the site have been a valuable starting point for our pupil librarians to assist teachers in selecting books that will take our children on new adventures. We are extremely grateful for the support received both in terms of finance and expertise from such a forward thinking and community minded company.”

Deborah Maclaren, MD of LoveReading commented: “School funding is in crisis. Balancing a budget is the school governing issue of our time. We have developed our online bookstores with social purpose to help support schools and I am delighted that this scheme will support schools across the UK and get more books into schools. This school in particular, our first beneficiary, is situated in the top 1% of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. Their funding application actually made me cry. We see first-hand the challenges facing our schools across the UK, the incredible staff working in schools doing the best forour children under tough circumstances, and I applaud them. I want to shout from the rooftops about the impact each and every person can make to help our schools. Buy a book, support a school. Make a difference.”

In 2019 the government gave a cash boost of £7.1 billion covering the period up to 2022-23 but this was not even sufficient to restore per-pupil funding to 2010 levels in real terms.

Recent research from the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) found that more than 60% of classrooms have no access to a budget for new books, so within the context of 1 in 4 kids leaving primary school unable to read fluently, we need to do more.

Online applications can be submitted at any time and any grant awarded will be awarded as credit to be spent on LoveReading or LoveReading4Kids.

Applications are to be submitted online by logging into your School Dashboard and accessing the Apply for Funding button.

For more information contact the LoveReading4Kids team on schools@lovereading.co.uk