Peters donates thousands of free books for disadvantaged pupils in Birmingham and Manchester

February 10th 2021

Peters are distributing thousands of free books to primary and secondary school pupils from deprived areas in Birmingham and Manchester this week, to support them and their schools with reading during the latest lockdown.

Working alongside Birmingham Education Partnership and OneEducation, the books are being sent via schools and food banks in the two cities to ensure they’re sent to the children who need them the most.

The link between reading and children’s attainment as well as overall wellbeing is widely acknowledged, however, in 2019, the National Literacy Trust found that 383,775 children in the UK don’t have a book of their own, and that it is children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are still less likely than their peers to own a book. With the majority of pupils at home and learning remotely for much of 2020 and again this term, those who don’t have books at home are further disadvantaged still, and more than two thirds of teachers now believe the attainment gap has widened for these children as a result of the lockdowns.

In Birmingham, books are being sent to the Handsworth Association of Schools, a charitable network set up to improve the life chances and wellbeing of multi-ethnic families in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, which is one of the most deprived areas in England. They are currently helping 33 different schools and more than 1000 children in total, and the free books will be included in packs which will be given out to the children to support them during half-term. 

The food bank at Harper Bell Seventh-Day Adventist School, who support children from more than 160 families in the Digbeth area, will also receive books.

In Manchester, OneEducation will also be delivering books to schools in some of the city’s most deprived areas.

Jo Gray, Head of School Development and Literacy at One Education, comments: "As we know from research carried out by OECD 'reading for pleasure is the biggest indicator of future success for children' and we are passionate, therefore, about getting books into the hands of children to hopefully inspire their love of books and ignite a passion for reading. We are so pleased that Peters asked us to be involved in distributing books to disadvantaged children in the hope we can contribute in a small way to closing the disadvantage gap."

Oonagh Towse, Peters’ Educational Relationship Manager says: “At Peters, we know how important reading is for children’s attainment and we believe all children should have access to great books, regardless of their background. Hearing about the struggles of children and their families at some of our local schools and beyond, we wanted to do something to support and hope by delivering good-quality books to these families we can help make a difference.”

The books have been generously donated by publishers Simon and Schuster, Collins Education, Walker Books and Child’s Play.