About Chapter One

Chapter One has a vision of a world where all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive. Its mission is to close the reading gap by providing children with one-to-one support at the time they need it most—at the start of their educational journey. The organisation’s three programmes - Early Literacy Intervention, Online Reading Volunteers and Book Clubs – harness the power of technology and human connection to develop fundamental reading skills and inspire a love for reading, helping to build both the will and the skill to read in children who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Children who enjoy reading do it more, and as a result are more likely to achieve better educational outcomes, to be happier and to be healthier.

The charity has grown rapidly since its inception in 2018 and is already making a difference to the lives of more than 3,500 children in communities facing disadvantage in England and Scotland. They pride themselves on their flexible, open culture, and have a diverse staff team which is based all over the UK. It’s an exciting time to join the Board of Trustees and support the implementation of their ambitious strategy and enable Chapter One's proven, scalable solutions to help thousands of children create the “first chapter” of their own success story.

Who are we looking for?

Chapter One is seeking a new trustee with a passion for literacy and improving reading outcomes for children facing disadvantage. The new trustee should be an experienced education professional with a strong safeguarding background. The ideal candidate will provide confident strategic oversight for Safeguarding, champion best practice at board level, and help upskill fellow trustees. The successful candidate will be expected to meet quarterly with the safeguarding team online and play a key role in ensuring that Chapter One continues to deliver its literacy work with the highest standards of safety and care.

Applications are welcomed from individuals with a well established background in education. We are particularly interested in those who have operated at a senior or strategic level across multiple educational settings, as this role requires a broad understanding of the education sector across the UK.

This trustee role is fully supported: the new trustee will be paired with a board “buddy” and guided towards established safeguarding training resources. Applicants will be invited to have an informal conversation with the CEO and an existing trustee before a formal interview with the trustee recruitment committee, and there will also be an opportunity to speak with someone from the safeguarding team if desired. The board meets online three times a year for two hour sessions, and once in person in London (January/February), with costs covered by the trustee expenses policy. With only one required in person meeting each year, applications are welcome from anywhere in the UK.