This report highlights the enduring importance of our Young Readers Programme by providing children with impactful positive reading experiences as well as opportunities to choose and, crucially, keep books. This is particularly important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, with over 1 in 4 children who receive free school meals telling us…

Many employers bemoan a lack of communication skills relevant to the workplace in their workforce, particularly with their younger intake. This report shows that providing young people who aren't confident communicators with structured oracy and writing activities as well as real-world opportunities to practise those skills with business…

In early 2023, 85.6% of parents reported being worried about the cost-of-living crisis, and, as a consequence, they cut back on energy, food, gas and electricity. While parents recognised the many benefits of reading for their children's learning and well-being, household budgets were under pressure: 1 in 5 (20.0%) were buying fewer books for…

Historically, reading has been emphasised more in primary than secondary education, with initiatives to support reading typically falling away as children move up the school system. Recent evidence shows high levels of reading need alongside minimal reading activity in secondary school students. Therefore, there is a pressing need to promote…

The value of school libraries is well-established, with reviews and studies worldwide highlighting the impact on children and young people's academic achievement and literacy outcomes. Yet, it is still not a statutory requirement for schools to have a school library or school library system. As such, there are no official figures as to the number…

This report looks at the reading engagement of children aged 8 to 18 in Scotland, based on data gathered from 1,141 pupils across eight schools in 2023. The survey was conducted between January and the middle of March 2023. Slightly more girls (58.8%; n = 635) than boys (41.2%; n = 445) participated from Scotland. There is also data from 33…

This report builds on National Literacy Trust's previous work to highlight how children and young people in Scotland felt about writing in early 2023. It explores how many enjoyed writing in their free time at home and at school, how often they wrote, what they were writing in their free time, and what motivated and inspired them to write. This…

Children's literacy development begins long before formal schooling, with parents and the home environment exerting important influences on the development of their children's language skills. A focus on the early years and the home learning environment of children is therefore crucial to ensure that they get the best possible foundation for their…

Public libraries are a national reading service, supporting reading and literacy throughout life. As a free local resource, they are particularly powerful in supporting the development of literacy and reading skills in disadvantaged communities. Libraries have a unique and powerful role to play in raising literacy skills, vital for individuals and…

Concern about the negative impact of the digital world on young people has increased in recent years (see, e.g., Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS], 2021; United Nations, 2021). A growing body of research explores aspects of young people's online lives and mental wellbeing (see, e.g., Kandola et al., 2021, Kelly et al., 2018,…

Online environments are an integral part of the lives of many young people. Surveys indicate that almost half of 10 to 15-year-olds in England and Wales spend three or more hours online on a typical school day (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2021). Concern about the negative impact of the digital world on young people has increased in…

The National Literacy Trust has been annually surveying children and young people about their reading enjoyment, attitudes and practices since 2005. More recently, the annual survey has also allowed researchers to explore children and young people's reading engagement before, during and after educational disruption relating to the COVID-19…

During the pandemic-related school closures and lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, listening to stories, whether through audiobooks or podcasts, was a lifeline for many children and adults (see Best & Clark, 2020 and Best, Clark, Perry & Riad, 2022). Around this time, the National Literacy Trust also began asking children and young people about…

The UK continues to face a huge adult-literacy challenge, with a sizeable percentage of the UK adult population having very low literacy skills. In addition to highlighting the literacy challenge in the UK, this report shows these individuals experience negative impacts on personal relationships, wellbeing, health, and education, as well as a…

The number of children and young people in England who speak languages other than English at home has grown in the past decade, increasing from 14.6% in 2011 to 19.3% in 2021. This has understandably sparked an interest in research around reading for multilingual pupils or those with English as an additional language (EAL). Given the apparent lack…