Supporting Literacy Through Chapter One Volunteering

At Severfield, we understand the power of education, and the importance of giving every child the opportunity to succeed. That’s why we partnered with Chapter One, a literacy charity that provides one-to-one reading support to children aged 5-8 who need extra help developing their reading skills.

The partnership was launched as part of our social value strategy to increase our impact in the Cumbria region for one of our clients. Through early intervention, Chapter One helps children who are at risk of falling behind in reading, aiming to change that story, one session at a time. This is especially important in light of recent figures from the Department for Education, which show that 38% of disadvantaged 11-year-olds in England leave primary school without reaching the expected standard in reading.

Volunteering in action

Thanks to our Group Volunteering policy, which supports colleagues to give back during the working day, a number of Severfield colleagues signed up to support pupils in Cumbria and beyond. Using Chapter One’s secure online platform, our volunteers delivered weekly reading sessions, building confidence, fluency, and a love of reading in young learners.

Over the course of the academic year:

• 240+ reading sessions were delivered
• 6,000+ reading minutes were volunteered
• Pupils reported improved confidence and engagement
• Teachers shared overwhelmingly positive feedback

This initiative demonstrates how small, consistent contributions can have a big impact, especially when it comes to early learning

 What our volunteers say

“I was partnered with a young girl who brings joy to my week with our reading sessions. Every week there’s laughter, imagination, and real progress in her reading ability.” – Kay Brown, Senior Design Engineer

“Watching my pupil’s confidence grow and seeing their reading improve has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.” – Ben Lewis, Estimator

“A standout moment was when we moved my pupil up a reading level, it really showed the difference this programme makes.” – Abel Neish, Early Careers Advisor

Looking Ahead Following such a positive response, Severfield is proud to continue its partnership with Chapter One into the next academic year. It’s a key part of how we deliver on our commitment to social value, creating lasting benefits for our communities through meaningful action.