Now Cameron backs fight to save St Mary's

The Prime Minister today threw his weight behind the Evening Standard's unique project to turn around a struggling London school.

David Cameron backed our plan to send an army of 85 reading volunteers into St Mary's in Battersea to help transform the pupils' futures, and said its success was "vital".

He said: "Children who struggle with reading can get a huge amount out of having a volunteer reader, and often those volunteers find it just as rewarding. Ensuring children can read properly when they leave primary school is vital to their futures, and to the future of the country.

"Schools are now being encouraged to use teaching methods that are proven to be most effective, and to give extra help to those children who are falling behind. But any extra help that volunteers can contribute is always welcome, so I applaud the Evening Standard's campaign and wish St Mary's every success."

The school's new headteacher, Jared Brading, said that he had been overwhelmed by community support.

Wandsworth council has also said it is "delighted" to back the partnership between St Mary's, the Evening Standard and the charity Volunteer Reading Help.

Dame Gail Rebuck, CEO of Random House and chairwoman of Galaxy Quick Reads, said: "We applaud the Standard's ongoing campaign and in particular this latest effort to 'adopt' St Mary's."

So far our campaign has raised more than £350,000, including £100,000 from Ukrainian billionaire Kostyantin Zhevago ringfenced for St Mary's. The money will be used to fund 700 reading mentors to help more than 2,000 pupils across London.