Community Voices is a new series of posts written by the organisations we support. We hope to provide a platform for local charities to share their expertise and offer their unique insight into the opportunities available to and challenges faced by Buckinghamshire residents.

This week, we hear from Pop Up who received a multiyear grant through our Impact programme in 2019.

Pop Up Projects is a non-profit children’s literature development agency with a mission to transform lives through literature. Over the last 10 years, our flagship education programme Pop Up Festival has inspired over 100,000 children and young people to become passionate readers and creative writers. We have provided 7,000 author-led classroom workshops, 3,500 continuing professional development sessions for teachers and 55,000 books in mainstream schools, special schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). 

In 2019, supported by the Rothschild Foundation, we targeted areas of disadvantage in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire to deliver Pop Up Festival over three years. The Festival aimed to; improve pupils’ reading for pleasure and creative writing; teachers’ creative literacy teaching; and creative connectivity between schools and homes.

All the teachers we consulted this summer about the impact of Covid-19 said pupils were experiencing increased mental health difficulties, and most (94%) said they were experiencing greater hardship. Teachers reported worrying declines in pupils’ engagement with books, reading and writing; literacy skills; and mental health and wellbeing – especially boys and pupils with SEND or receiving pupil premium.

Due to Covid-19, we had to reschedule Pop Up Festival 2020 from summer to autumn then switch to delivering online 86 author workshops in 16 schools in the Rothschild-funded region alone, nearly 350 workshops in all. We communicated closely with schools throughout, providing additional training to authors to boost their online skills and confidence, plus tailored resources for teachers to use in class.

Here’s some feedback from participating teachers:

“The children absolutely loved it and were still talking about the session at home time!”

“It was great, my pupils loved it, they were really excited to meet and talk to a real-life author…and really motivated to complete the activities.”

“A huge thank you for our workshops this week…there has been a real buzz ever since. We love [your book] and can’t wait to read more of your books soon. We really appreciate all of the work that went into making the workshop still go ahead.”

To celebrate our 10th birthday in 2021, we have launched a Crowdfunder to publish 10 Stories to Make a Difference – a collection of ten beautifully illustrated children’s books celebrating difference – the proceeds of which will help support our work over the next five years.

Pop Up

Community Voices is a new series of posts written by the organisations we support. We hope to provide a platform for local charities to share their expertise and offer their unique insight into the opportunities available to and challenges faced by Buckinghamshire residents.

If you are a current or past grantee and would like to be featured in the Community Voices series, please read our contribution guidance.