Buster’s Book Club is better than ever

Schools are invited to sign up this term for the new and improved Buster’s Book Club which starts with a bang in the New Year.

Following a five-year review, the successful reading-reward scheme has made significant changes and its organisers are excited to reveal developments taking effect in 2020.

Buster’s Book Club is organised by the KM Charity Team and used in more than 100 schools to help children develop a love of reading. Each week, pupils compete to win the Reading Class of the Week Trophy, while inter-school reading challenges offer prizes ranging from leisure attraction tickets to visits by celebrity storytellers.

Literacy project coordinator Kay Devine, of the KM Charity Team, said: “The time was right to review Buster’s and see how we can make it even better. We have found new ways of working with schools to support their running of it, along with reviewing incentives, rewards and prizes.”

She added: “The most common request is to run Buster’s Book Club in line with the academic year, and I am delighted to say this will be the case from next year. However, to make this work in practice the programme will have a shorter run in 2020 - from January to July - and the price will be reduced accordingly. Thereafter it will settle into the usual September to July pattern at the regular price.”

“This is great news for schools as they will be able to give Buster’s a try and experience the benefits at a big discount,” said Mrs Devine.

Other developments in 2020 include fun promotional videos for schools to screen to pupils or share with parents; revamped resources and supportive documents; best practice tips for engaging children and families; and fundraising advice to help schools finance the programme.

Mrs Devine explained: “Buster’s Book Club is heavily subsidised however we understand that some schools may still struggle to pay the nominal fee. This is why we have introduced tried-and-tested fundraising tips to help.”

The KM Charity Team is also introducing a Stakeholders’ Forum to keep Buster’s Book Club fresh and responsive to schools’ needs, along with local network meetings for training and knowledge-sharing purposes.

Schools signing up to Buster’s Book Club this term will be eligible to take part in a range of challenges in the New Year. Prizes include vouchers for Diggerland and Historic Dockyard Chatham, along with a whole-class visit to Leeds Castle, and a school visit from Creepy Claws.

Schools will also have the chance to win visits by celebrity storytellers such as award-winning author and illustrator Nick Butterworth, humanitarian and author Terry Waite CBE, actor and panto favourite Ben Roddy, and Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker.

“Buster’s is a ready-made tool that helps schools to work in partnership with parents and carers on their child’s reading journey,” said Mrs Devine. “I personally love the programme - it has the magic formula of competition, reward, and acknowledgment of achievement. It’s a powerful motivator for children to want to read and it’s a great deal of fun.”

For more information, or to join Buster’s Book Club, visit the Buster's Book Club website

School representatives interested in joining the Buster’s Book Club Stakeholder Forum should contact Kay Devine at kdevine@thekmgroup.co.uk.

Contact Details

Kay Devine
Telephone: 01227 475966
Email: kdevine@thekmgroup.co.uk