Literacy Pirates

At Literacy Pirates, every Young Pirate is a writer ✍️🏴‍☠️

From the moment they join us, each student is treated like a real author and by the end of the programme they really are!

Each cohort engages in a project: a book, newspaper, or film. Through our Writing Islands approach - a structured drafting and redrafting model - they learn to develop stories that are published in real world products in the final weeks of the programme.

Have a read of these gorgeous poems written by two Young Pirates, Young Pirates Jannah and Leon. These poems were published in a book of poetry!!

📚 It’s time for another book recommendation from the Literacy Pirates team as part of the and Go All In!

For April, our amazing Schools Partnership Manager Sarah has a recommendation to share.

Her pick is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, and here’s why she enjoyed it:

'Small Things Like These is set during a dark chapter in Ireland’s history. It tells a short but powerful story, following an ordinary man whose quiet acts of kindness ultimately reveal extraordinary courage. At its heart, the book's message is one of courage, compassion, and hope. It shows us that small acts of kindness don't go unnoticed, which we all need reminding of sometimes!'

Have you read this powerful book? or seen the film?
Share your April recommendations with us! 🌟

📊 OUR IMPACT IN NUMBERS 📊

Ever wondered who we support?

Of the young people on our 2024-25 programme:
98% faced socio-economic barriers
84% were Pupil Premium funded
28% had Special Educational Needs
58% spoke English as an Additional Language

By the end of our programme:
86% made progress in literacy
90% gained perseverance
95% built confidence

Our programmes create joyful, low-risk environments where children can explore reading and writing, celebrate their achievements, and take confidence back to the classroom.

Together, we’re helping close the literacy gap and open doors to brighter futures. 🏴‍☠️📚

Have you seen the latest figures from the National Literacy Trust? They paint a very sad picture of reading for joy among young people today.

📖 1 in 3 of 8–18 year old say they enjoy reading
📚 Only 1 in 5 read daily, the lowest level since 2005
✍️ Only 1 in 4 enjoy writing in their free time

And yet…

⏳ Reading just 20 mins a day exposes a child to 1.8 MILLION words a year.

At Literacy Pirates, we work with young people to rebuild their confidence in picking up a book. We empower them to discover joy in reading, making real and lasting changes to their literacy and so their educational attainment.

Want to help us grow our impact even further? Head to our website http://literacypirates.org to find out how you can get involved.

Reading for Pleasure matters more now than ever!

Only 32% of children enjoy reading in their free time (The National Literacy Trust). Yet research shows that reading for enjoyment equals academic success.

Reading for Pleasure helps children develop richer vocabulary, better comprehension skills, and stronger empathy. Skills that will help them beyond the classroom. This is why Reading for Pleasure is part of our model at Literacy Pirates.

Our latest blog post lists 4 ways to make reading
irresistible in the classroom:
1. Give children choice and mean it! Teachers can create a ​“Books I Enjoy” shelf that grows over the year with pupil recommendations.

2. Make reading social. Teachers can pair pupils for reading buddies or have full class read aloud.

3. Celebrate reading identities. Teachers can end each week by picking a 'Reader of the Week' which can celebrate something different each week.

4. Encourage reading conversation instead of just reading comprehension. Trying using prompts that invite imagination instead of formal questions. Teachers can create Reading Conversation journals (a shared notebooks between the teacher and pupil)

Like these tips and want to read more? Go check out our full blog post:
https://literacypirates.org/news/practical-literacy-activities-to-promote-reading-for-pleasure

Our work simply would not be possible without our wonderful funders!

Every little bit helps to ensure our programme meets the needs of all the Young Pirates we serve.

The Hargreaves Foundation have been supporting us since 2020 and have helped us grow to be the organisation we are today, witnessing first hand our expansion on the virtual ship.

A huge thank you to the Hargreaves Foundation and all of our other supporters and funders. 🌟

To donate to the work we do at Literacy Pirates, please head to our website http://www.literacypirates.org 🚢

At Literacy Pirates, we measure our impact across four key areas that help young people thrive and we’re proud of what our Young Pirates are achieving:

📚 Literacy
100% of Young Pirates (in person) and 86% of Young Pirates (virtual) showed an increase in one or more literacy measures.

💙 Confidence
94% of families (in person) and 100% of families (virtual) reported an increase in their child’s confidence.

💪 Perseverance
95% of teachers (in person) and 74% of teachers (virtual) reported an increase in perseverance.

📖 Enjoyment of Reading
According to the National Literacy Trust, only 32% of children enjoy reading nationally, but by the end of our programme, 47% of Young Pirates say they enjoy reading more.

These results reflect real progress and lasting change. They’re only possible because of our incredible Young Pirates, volunteer Crewmates, schools, and supporters.

📚 It’s that time again!

Another exciting book recommendation from our staff and volunteers celebrating the with Go All In!

Our March recommendation comes our brilliant Jamie, Literacy Pirates Communications Intern!

Recently finishing 'After I do' by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Jamie shares her take:

'I loved this book because it is both a heartfelt love story and meaningful journey of personal growth. It explores what happens when a marriage reaches a breaking point and forces two people to reevaluate their relationship. The story focuses on independence, self-discovery, and what it truly means to choose love. What I appreciate most is how it centres on a woman learning who she is outside of her relationship instead of just being a love story.'

Have you read this book? What did do you think? Share a book you recently enjoyed and keep the conversation going!

Got questions? We've got answers!

Curious about who Young Pirates and Crewmates are? Curious about what we do? Dive into our to uncover everything you need to know about Literacy Pirates.

Teachers, are you ready to bring your pupils onboard? ⚓

Book a partnership call with us and discover how your school can nominate children who need extra literacy support and watch them thrive with our joyful, evidence-based learning programme. 🌊

No matter where you are, your school can come aboard.

Get in touch with [email protected] and transform literacy in your school!