Carden Primary School became involved in Young City Reads two years ago. The children and teachers have benefitted enormously from working collaboratively on a shared book and have fully participated in all the activities set and thoroughly enjoyed attending the author event at the end of the project. Three years ago, Carden's reading results at KS2 were well below national average and children noted that they did not particularly enjoy books or reading. Our reading scores in the last two years have risen to well above national averages and even though we are a school with a high level of deprivation and vulnerable learners, we sit within the top 10% of schools in the country for progress in reading. This is in no small part due to our participation in the Young City Reads project. Helen Longton-Howorth Head Teacher, Carden Primary

Young City Reads is a robust model and an example of a partnership framework where the outcomes are greater than the sum of the parts, with Young City Reads acting as a creative catalyst to create a high quality artistic experience for children. This is supported by schools, libraries and partners using their unique skills and relationships. With an emphasis on inclusion, no child feels left out whatever their reading skill or access needs. I am a great advocate of this scheme! Ann Sarrag Head of Childrens Reading - The Reading Agency

I was privileged to join over 1,400 school children for the Young City Reads 2019 project finale at Brighton Festival, to see the inspirational author Onjali Q. Raúf live on stage for this special celebration of her award winning book: The Boy at the Back of the Class. It was very emotional to see so many year 4 and 5 children engaged, listening and then cheering for Onjali. What a fabulous celebration of reading in our city. Jo Lyons - Assistant Director for Families, Children and Learning in Brighton and Hove City Council.