Coram Beanstalk

What Coram Beanstalk does

Coram Beanstalk is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 296454), founded in 1973 and operating as part of the broader Coram group, that delivers volunteer-led reading support to children in schools. Its core service is the recruitment, training, and deployment of volunteer reading helpers who provide weekly one-to-one, in-person reading sessions to children in partner primary schools, with parallel programmes for secondary schools, virtual schools, and early years settings. The organisation also publishes curated reading content, including the monthly Beanstalk Brilliant Books and Book of the Month selections, World Book Day book lists, and resources for teachers and families. Its business model is non-commercial: services are provided free of charge to schools and children, with funding derived from donations, charitable grants, corporate partnerships, challenge events, and legacy gifts. Coram Beanstalk holds royal patronage from HM The Queen, operates from a headquarters on the Coram Campus in London, and is publicly positioned as the lead charity partner for the volunteering arm of the Department of Education's National Year of Reading 2026, as well as the Sunday Times' Get Britain Reading charity partner since October 2025. Reported impact metrics include 97% of children making progress against age-related reading expectations, 94% showing improved communication skills, and 98% showing improvement in wellbeing, confidence, and self-esteem. No proprietary technology, software platform, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed; the offering is fundamentally a human-delivered, community-based service supported by curated reading content.

Name

Coram Beanstalk

Legal name

Coram Beanstalk

Website

https://corambeanstalk.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Coram Beanstalk is a UK charity, founded in 1973 and part of the Coram group, that recruits and trains volunteers to deliver weekly one-to-one reading support to children in partner primary, secondary, virtual, and early years schools across Britain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Literacy Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention (EDANAJAA), Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Children literacy charity
• Reading support services
• School volunteer programs
• Early years reading
• Literacy intervention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Coram Beanstalk is a registered charity (No. 296454) that operates through donations, charitable grants, and fundraising activities. The organization relies on public donations, corporate support, challenge events, and legacy gifts to fund its reading support programs in schools.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coram Beanstalk recruits, trains, and deploys volunteers who deliver weekly one-to-one reading support to children in partner primary, secondary, and virtual schools across the UK. The charity also produces curated book selections (Book of the Month, Beanstalk Brilliant Books, World Book Day books) and provides reading resources for teachers, parents, and families to encourage reading for pleasure.

Product overview

Coram Beanstalk is a UK-based charity (established 1973) focused on creating readers through volunteer-based reading support programs. The organization operates a portfolio of services including one-to-one reading helper support in primary and secondary schools, virtual school reading programs, and early years reading assistance. Key program offerings include the Book of the Month and Beanstalk Brilliant Books collections, World Book Day selections, and curated reading resources for schools and families. The organization serves as lead charity partner for the National Year of Reading 2026 and Sunday Times Get Britain Reading campaign. Coram Beanstalk functions as a service-based charitable organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary School Reading Support One-to-one volunteer reading helpers delivering fun, interactive reading experiences to children in UK primary schools on a weekly basis, providing personalized support to help children find books that inspire and delight them.
• Secondary School Reading Support Reading support programs delivered to secondary school students to help improve their reading skills, confidence, and curriculum attainment.
• Virtual Schools Program One-to-one reading support delivered remotely to children in virtual school settings, providing interactive reading experiences through digital channels.
• Early Years Reading Support Reading assistance programs designed for young children in their early years of education, providing foundational literacy support.
• Partner School Program Formal collaboration framework with primary, secondary, and virtual schools across the UK to deliver reading support aimed at improving children's confidence, wellbeing, and curriculum attainment.
• Volunteer Reading Helper Program Recruitment, training, and ongoing support of volunteers who deliver weekly one-to-one reading support in partner schools, providing children with personalized help and encouragement to find inspiring books.
• Book of the Month Monthly curated book recommendations featuring Beanstalk Brilliant Books selected for different age groups and themes, designed to encourage children to read for pleasure and engage in book discussions.
• World Book Day Books Annual special selection of World Book Day books curated for different age groups, featuring diverse authors and genres to inspire book chat and reading engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of children made progress against age-related reading expectations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Federation of Children's Book Groups (FCBG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Coram Beanstalk collaborated with FCBG to celebrate National Share a Story Month (NSSM) in May 2026, selecting joint Book of the Month recommendations from their curated list.
• National Literacy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The National Literacy Trust is leading the National Year of Reading 2026, a Department of Education initiative. Coram Beanstalk is the lead charity partner for the volunteering arm of this campaign.
• The Sunday TimescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2025Since October 2025, Coram Beanstalk has been the Sunday Times charity partner for their Get Britain Reading campaign. This partnership promotes literacy and reading across Britain through high-profile media coverage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Children's Literacy Foundation (UK): UK charity providing literacy support and book resources to children in underserved communities. Comparable as a smaller UK children's literacy charity working with schools in a similar donation-funded, volunteer-supported model.
• Read Easy: UK charity using trained volunteers to provide one-to-one coaching to adults who struggle with reading. Directly comparable operating model (volunteer-delivered, one-to-one reading support) though focused on adult literacy rather than children.
• Achievement for All: UK charity working with schools to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, including literacy. Comparable as a UK education-intervention charity working through primary schools with measurable outcomes.
• Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE): UK charity providing literacy teaching resources, training, and research for primary schools. Comparable as a UK literacy-in-primary-education specialist targeting the same schools as Coram Beanstalk's primary reading program.

Direct peers

• BookTrust: UK-wide children's literacy charity that gifts books and runs reading-inheritance programmes to children and families. Most directly comparable to Coram Beanstalk as a UK children's literacy charity working through schools with a similar mission of creating lifelong readers.
• National Literacy Trust: UK literacy charity that runs national campaigns, school programmes, and research to address literacy inequalities. Directly comparable as it leads the National Year of Reading 2026 in partnership with Coram Beanstalk and competes for the same donor and school-partner mindshare.
• Reach Out and Read: US-based non-profit that trains paediatricians to promote reading aloud and gives books to children at check-ups. Comparable as a children's literacy charity using trusted intermediaries and proven impact metrics to drive early-reading outcomes.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: US-originated charity that gifts age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five. Directly comparable to Coram Beanstalk's early-years and Beanstalk Brilliant Books offerings as a book-gifting-focused children's literacy non-profit.
• Reading Is Fundamental: Long-standing US children's literacy non-profit providing books and literacy resources to underserved youth. Comparable in its non-profit children's-literacy focus and reliance on community/school distribution channels.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children UK: Major UK children's charity with broader education and literacy programmes alongside health and child-protection work. Comparable as a large incumbent competing for school partnerships and donor funding but operating across a much wider portfolio of causes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/beanstalkreads
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BeanstalkCharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/beanstalkreads
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corambeanstalk
• Instagraminstagram.com/beanstalkreads

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coram Beanstalk