Oldham Athletic Community Trust to give free books to local primary school pupils!
To mark World Book Day 2023, the Premier League will be giving away more than 20,000 free books to children across England and Wales through its Premier League Primary Stars education programme.
Since Premier League Primary Stars began in 2017, more than a quarter of a million free books have been gifted to young people, thanks to the education programme’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Oldham Athletic is one of 97 professional football clubs across England and Wales to give away the free books to local primary schools, with 180 World Book Day books being gifted by the club to local primary schools in Oldham as part of their Premier League Primary Stars delivery.
Held on Thursday (2 March), World Book Day promotes reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own as according to National Literacy Trust research, children who own their own books are nearly three times more likely to enjoy reading.
This afternoon, Oldham Athletic Players Harrison McGahey and Chris Porter will be hosting an World Book Day education activation at Willowpark, delievring FREE books for the school!
To create more opportunities for pupils to experience the joy of reading on World Book Day itself, the Premier League and the National Literacy Trust will host a free, fun-filled live online event, hosted by Kelly Somers and featuring authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton.
The Great Big 2023 Footy & Booky Quiz will promote reading, engage pupils in reading activities and showcase reading role models through the medium of football.
Sport and Literacy Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust Jim Sells said: “World Book Day celebrates reading for pleasure for everyone. We know that children who have books at home do better in school, so we are delighted to be able to distribute such an incredible number of books to schools across the country with the help of the community organisations at nearly 100 brilliant football clubs.
“We know that some children and families may struggle to access and enjoy World Book Day So our goal is to engage those who need support through inclusive activities like our free live event and wide-scale book donations to open them up to a lifetime love of books and reading and improving their literacy skills.
“I’d like to thank our partners at World Book Day and the Premier League for making this possible.”
Premier League Primary Stars provides teachers access to free resources across English, PSHE, PE and Maths, to support children to develop skills and values that are crucial to success in later life.
The free primary school programme provides teachers and parents with downloadable curriculum-linked resources across a range of at Key Stage 1 (age 5-7) and Key Stage 2 (age 7-11), developed by teachers for teachers, and in collaboration with experts, including the National Literacy Trust.
National Literacy Trust research found that 1 in 10 children from disadvantaged backgrounds said they did not own a single book of their own at home. The partnership between the National Literacy Trust and Premier League Primary Stars supports professional football club community organisations to put books in the hands of young people across England and Wales. This aligns to World Book Day’s mission to promote reading for pleasure and offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
The free World Book Day titles can be the first book a child ever owns. This can have a significant impact on a child’s future as World Book Day found reading for pleasure to be the biggest single indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or income.
About Premier League Primary Stars
Premier League Primary Stars inspires children to learn through the power of football in more than 18,700 primary schools across England and Wales. There have been over 17m attendances by primary school pupils at club-led sessions since 2017, with 105 professional football clubs across the football pyramid receiving funding from the Premier League to deliver these. More than 60,000 teachers have registered for free downloadable lesson materials, with 91% of teachers surveyed saying Premier League Primary Stars has increased pupils’ enjoyment of sport. The total Premier League investment, delivered via the Premier League Charitable Fund, over the last five years is £54m.
Free Premier League Primary Stars resources can be downloaded from www.plprimarystars.com
About the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust’s mission is to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of those who need it most, giving them the best possible chance of success in school, work and life. They run Literacy Hubs and campaigns in communities where low levels of literacy and social mobility are seriously affecting people’s lives. They support schools and early years settings to deliver outstanding literacy provision, and campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians, businesses and parents.
National Literacy Trust’s research and analysis make the organisation the leading authority on literacy and drive our interventions. Literacy is a vital element of action against poverty and our work changes children and young people’s life stories. Visit literacytrust.org.uk to find out more, donate or sign up for our free email newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL.
About the Premier League Charitable Fund.
The Premier League Charitable Fund was established in 2010 to distribute funding provided by the Premier League and its partners to professional football club charities across England and Wales, supporting them in their delivery in thousands of community venues and schools across the country. More than 100 CCOs are supported across the Premier League, EFL and National League.
Support for community provision through the Premier League Charitable Fund more than tripled in 10 years, with the Premier League now investing over £35m per year into community activity and programmes. A total of £263.6m has been invested to-date, with approximately 1.67m participants taking part in programmes funded by the Premier League via the Premier League Charitable Fund over the last 12 years.
The Premier League Charitable Fund is a registered charity no. 1137208.
About World Book Day®
World Book Day® is a charity that changes lives through a love of books and reading. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. www.worldbookday.com.
World Book Day® is a registered charity no. 1079257 and a company limited by guarantee no. 03783095 registered in England and Wales. Registered address: 6 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR. World Book Day® and the associated logo are the registered trademarks of World Book Day® Limited.
