Schools

Letterbox Club parcels can inspire a love of reading and engagement with numeracy for vulnerable children in your school. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the programme:

How are children selected for the programme?

• Each school decides which children to register for Letterbox Club.
• Letterbox Club is a resource designed for Looked After and Previously Looked After Children. It is also suitable for children on the edge of care and other vulnerable groups, such as those in receipt of Pupil Premium funding.
• Schools can enrol as few or as many children as they wish. This has varied depending on individual capacity and budget to run the programme.

How do we explain the programme to those that aren't involved?

This will vary as each school decides which children they will register for the Letterbox Club. Some schools have not had to address this, but others that have suggested the following:

• We give out the parcels discreetly to participating children.
• The parcels are given out from school to parents or carers, usually without the children knowing so they think they have been delivered to them personally. The children love this!
• It is explained as being another Pupil Premium intervention opportunity.
• I give the parcels out to the parents or carers with a letter inside from school. This then stops questions being asked from other children.
• We invite the parents and carers of the children involved in Letterbox Club to come in to school for a special event, when we can talk about what is in the parcels and give them out to the children. Sometimes we might play some of the games, or start to read the stories together, to encourage them to try this out at home.

How much administration is required?

BookTrust delivers the parcels to schools. A designated member of staff will then distribute them to the children.

We recommend that each school identifies a member of staff to coordinate the programme, who will:

• Address each parcel to the child
• Post or give out the parcels each month

When are the parcels delivered?

For smaller orders, the parcels are delivered in bulk to schools, usually in May. Children should then receive one parcel per month for the six months from May to October - so they get six parcels each in total. For large orders, schools will receive six, monthly deliveries, usually between May and October.

If you would like advice about programme administration, please email us at: [email protected]

Have you evaluated the impact of the programme?

Research and Evaluation is an important part of the Letterbox Club. A number of evaluations have been conducted to look at the impact of the programme and we continue to evaluate the Letterbox Club across the UK. Surveys and feedback forms are also available for Letterbox coordinators to use with children and families taking part.

Read the Letterbox Club evaluation reports here