Pilot gives away 4,500 books to island students
BBCAn airline pilot and author is giving away three books to every Year 2 school child on the Isle of Wight.
Rob Johnson, from Sussex, said he hoped his stories, which follow the adventures of pilots Ollie and Polly, would enthuse the pupils with a love of books.
His outreach programme addresses the low age-related reading levels on the island - a previous BBC report showed one in three children were below their reading age by the time they started secondary school.
Isle of Wight Council said improving reading and writing outcomes remained one of its "highest priorities".
Mr Johnson launched his initiative, which involves donating a total of 4,500 books, at Dover Park Primary School in Ryde.
"Twenty-four percent of children nationally do not reach age-related reading levels and here in the Isle of Wight, it's slightly worse - about 33%," he said.
"To help the schools support the teachers we are gifting three Let's Go See books to every single child in Year Two here."
Headteacher Jon Kirby said it had created "much excitement for the pupils".
"Children are coming in at a lower and lower starting point, so we've got more and more children with speech and language challenges," he said.
"We do all we can to try and overcome those which is why any opportunity to read or be read to is so important for all children."
Pupils in 36 schools will benefit from the books, which were inspired by Mr Johnson's own career as a pilot.
"I'm really hoping that they read the books, watch the cartoons and engage with whole process and get their parents to read with them," he said.
Mr Johnson said he hoped to expand the scheme to all schools in the UK.
Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, called the initiative "really helpful".
"Reading is something that should happen in schools but what we really want to do is encourage reading at home," he said.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said the authority was "determined to ensure that every child on the Isle of Wight develops the secure literacy skills they need to succeed in education and life".
"Recent national performance data shows that while many children on the Isle of Wight achieve well in reading, overall literacy outcomes are still below the national average, particularly at the end of primary school and at GCSE," they said.
"Through the Isle of Wight Education Strategy (2025–2030), we are strengthening the teaching of early reading and writing, improving the consistency of literacy provision across all schools, and ensuring that children who need additional support receive it quickly."
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