Pupils at Bellevue Primary School are getting a boost in reading skills this year thanks to a unique charity.

Donors Choice matches teachers and students with sponsors who are interested in supporting school projects.

Bellevue Primary deputy principal and the school's literacy support person Pam Seath wanted 30 licences for a software package for students, who are either struggling with or making a start with reading.

Bellevue School didn't have the finding available to provide the programme, so it was raised by Donor's Choice Charitable Trust and presented to the school by Tauranga MP and Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

The software will complement other classroom programmes such as guided instructional reading phonics, word skills, buddy reading.

More than 800 New Zealand schools have access to the Steps programme and it is showing excellent results, especially with children who have learning difficulties, says trustee Ken Knott.

Donor's Choice is an idea he took from a similar US based website called Donor's Choose which has proved a very successful concept.

It often helps when funding though normal channels is not available , and has provided more than $US350 million matching sponsors with teachers.

'Surprisingly data gathered over many years indicates that the average amount required for a project is only about $350-$500,” says Ken.

It impressed Ken so much, he discussed it with Bernie Harvey and Stephen Hatfield, who are now the other two trustees.

Ken says he approached Donor's Choose about using their idea and they didn't mind, as long as he changed the name.

'They first thought I wanted a franchise, but they said they were too busy.”

The next donation will be for a school orchard, and then they will return to fund raising, says Ken.