First Read supports family literacy and education in poor communities around the world.

It offers an innovative way of working directly with families to expand and improve early chilhood care and education. First Read also supports improvements in the literacy and other skills of the participating parents and carers, including their ongoing ability to support their children's learning.

The Global Campaign for Education is a coalition of child rights activists, teachers’ unions and development organisations from around the world, united in their determination to make the right to educationstee a reality. I chair the UK campaign's policy group and sit on the steering committee.

I'm a trustee of the Reading Agency. The Read’ing Agency's mission is to inspire more people to read more. Read works with public libraries, publishers, unions, businesses and broadcasters to support reading.

The Reading Agency's Big Book Share supports prisoners to choose a book and then make a recording of themselves reading it, which is then given to the prisoner’s children. Reading can help to keep the family bond strong and can help an imprisoned parent to be a positive role model to his or her children.