Generations of Stories

Through the National Literacy Trust and BUPA, we have been selected as a partner school to work with residential homes in Birmingham.

Funded through BUPA, 6 Primary schools in the U.K were selected to strengthen our children's world of understanding and of each other, through reading. Each child participating receives brand-new books, that they choose themselves, within three events through the year.

The programme promotes children's reading for pleasure and builds their reading identity through events in school and at a selected residential home. The residents take part in storytelling workshops with the children and share books, which are then kept in the 'twinned' library on both sites.

St Thomas are thrilled to be involved in such a unique and impactful programme, that allows our children to communicate and explore storytelling through the generations; connecting with those within our community.

Having a book of your own at home and celebrating reading with those around you can increase a child’s enjoyment of reading and their reading frequency, both of which impacts a child’s literacy levels.

Literacy skills will not just help a child succeed in school, but throughout their adult life: it gives them more opportunities in the job market; as a parent, it can give them the tools to support their own child’s learning; it can even affect their mental wellbeing and life expectancy. High literacy skills can even help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty that many families face.

“We’ve brought reading out of the classroom, and it’s great to give children the chance to share stories with the older generation. The support and generosity of The National Literacy trust and BUPA has really helped our pupils love reading even more than they already did!" - Year One class teacher