Grantham Morrisons donates bundle of books to Isaac Newton Primary School library on World Book Day
A supermarket has donated a bundle of books to a primary school library to mark World Book Day.
Pupils at Isaac Newton Primary School are celebrating World Book Day with a bundle of 10 new books for their school library, donated by the Morrisons Foundation in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Sue Healey, community champion at Grantham Morrisons, presented the books to the school.
She said: “I’m so proud to be helping kids in our community through the donation of these wonderful books.
"The challenges of the past couple of years really have been difficult for us all, but particularly younger children who not only missed out on school, but also just having time with their friends and teachers.
"I hope these stories will give children at Isaac Newton some fun as well as help them find a love of reading.”
In total, over 5,000 books are being donated to school libraries in communities throughout England, Scotland and Wales as part of the partnership between the two charities to help inspire and nurture a love of reading for over 130,000 primary school children who will benefit directly from this project.
In 2019, one in four (27%) 11-year-olds in England left primary school not reading at the expected level, rising to 2 in 5 (42%) disadvantaged children(i). Although efforts have been made to narrow this gap in attainment, there are concerns that the long-lasting effects of the disruption to education caused by COVID-19 may reverse the progress made in the last decade.
By working in partnership to donate books to communities across the country, the National Literacy Trust and Morrisons Foundation aim to support children’s literacy recovery by investing in their school libraries post-pandemic.
David Scott, Morrisons foundation trustee said: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with the National Literacy Trust again to provide books to hundreds of schools across our local communities. We hope these books will provide enjoyment to children and help to boost their reading and literacy skills.”
Jonathan Douglas CBE, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust said: “World Book Day is a great reminder of how important children’s literacy is in developing their skills for the future. Our research suggests that around 400,000 children don’t have a book of their own, so we’re delighted that Morrisons Foundation have chosen our charity again and will be donating books to hundreds of school libraries, providing fun and enjoyment to children.”
The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarket in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help improve people’s lives. Since launching, over £35 million has been donated to charities across England, Scotland and Wales.
