Rey Paper has teamed up with The National Literacy Trust to launch a summer school comic book initiative.
The partners will be delivering 10,000 free resource packs to students across the country as part of a drive to help students transition from primary to secondary school after a disrupted year. Rey will be contributing 150,000 sheets of paper to help make the initiative a success.
The packs, which will contain a Beano comic, colouring pencils and the materials children need to create a comic of their own, are being sent to 180 schools in locations identified as having the strongest literacy need, including Stoke and Swindon.
Antony Mackie, country sales manager, UK and Ireland at International Paper (the manufacturers of Rey) commented, ‘We are delighted to partner with the National Literacy Trust on this important summer school project. We want to encourage children to have fun with the writing and design of comics and allow their imaginations to run wild. The last year has been exceptionally difficult for children and there are reports that the pandemic means 200,000 Year 6 students may start secondary school with low literacy. We are glad to help children in this key transitional period.’
Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust added, ‘Summertime initiatives can help vulnerable children, improve engagement with education and ease the transition of children going from primary to secondary education. Our recent writing research showed a quarter (23%) of children who write in their free time at least once a month do so because it makes them feel happy or more confident. We know that writing has a direct link to wellbeing and there has perhaps never been a more important time to support the physical and mental health of our youngest generation.
‘I can’t wait to see the comic book designs created by the children who receive the packs, whilst everyone is able to enjoy this fantastic activity online.’
