Tritax Big Box & Schoolreaders - Improving literacy, creating a lifetime of opportunities

Client: Schoolreaders - Improving literacy. Increasing life chances

Sadly, one in four children leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard. This disadvantages them for life as they can’t access their secondary education fully. They are at risk of joining the UK’s currently seven million functionally illiterate adults. Illiteracy is a major factor in many of societies’ challenges- unemployment, homelessness, health and criminality.

Schoolreaders, launched in 2013, provides primary schools with volunteers who listen to children read. The most disadvantaged children are prioritised. In ten years Schoolreaders has grown significantly due to the extreme need and now supports 22,000 children each week. The model is simple, scalable, proven and cost-effective. Tritax Big Box, the largest listed investor in high-quality UK logistics warehouse assets, was Schoolreaders’ first corporate partner. Tritax Big Box asked that its investment helped improve the literacy and life-chances of children living in regions where it acquired and developed assets. Today, that partnership is at work in more than 20 counties. Since 2019, Tritax Big Box’s £76,050 funding has supported more than 2,000 children to receive weekly one-to-one reading support sessions, delivered by 200+ volunteers. In 2023, Tritax Big Box renewed and expanded its partnership, and is committed to partnering with Schoolreaders to 2029.