Reading Spots is a UK-registered charity set up in 2015 by two Brighton College teachers, a Ghanaian driver and six pupils. The project aims to engage pupils in charitable ethics and international development, while raising funds to create sustainable and community-led libraries in remote areas of Ghana.

Since 2015, the school has raised more than  £110,000 to construct eight community libraries and a classroom block in Ghana, shipping over 20,000 books, buying £1,500 worth of African books and gaining support from six UK schools, four trust funds and several publishers. The libraries are usually owned by tribal leaders who provide land, a librarian and electricity. The projects are shared by schools and so far have benefited more than 5,000 pupils in Ghana. 

From 2016-17, Brighton College pupil ambassadors have shared their understanding of charity development through assemblies, and they have also led cultural concerts, “Azonto” danceathons and a reading sponsorship scheme at Brighton College’s pre-prep. In Easter 2017 Brighton College staff visited Ghana, and the school has given one teacher a sabbatical year to complete a study in the country as part of an MA in education and international development. 

One pupil wrote: “Lots of things at school make me think. But this course has really made me think about what I’m thinking. I have learned not to look at Africa through the lens of someone who has grown up in England, but to take time to understand it from the perspective of those who live there.”

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