Why we are needed:

Some further reading on the state of literacy in the UK and the effects that reading for pleasure can have.

The Challenges Facing Schools and Pupils in September 2020

This research investigates the impact of Covid-19 on mainstream primary and secondary schools in England…. Read More

Understanding the Impact and Characteristics of School Libraries and Reading Spaces

In the 2019 survey, a subset of questions focused on children’s and young people’s use… Read More

Reading to children is so powerful, so simple and yet so misunderstood

This blog raises awareness on the fact that so much emphasis is placed on reading… Read More

Family literacy in prisons: father’s engagement with their young children

The significance of this study lies in the demonstration that theories of early literacy development… Read More

Gift of Reading. Children’s book ownership in 2019

Through our ninth Annual Literacy Survey, we explored the relationship between children’s book ownership, reading skills, reading enjoyment and reading attitudes.

We surveyed 56,906 children and young people aged 9 to 18 across the UK between January to March 2019.

Independent, Effective, Humane: The case for funding charities in the prison system

This report argues that:

• Charities continue to have an impact despite working in a prison system which is in crisis. Their work both in
prisons, and to influence change is hugely important to individuals and society and is only possible because
of their independence from the system itself.
• Independent funders are vital to charities working in prisons because it is a field which has experienced steep
government cuts and does not attract much funding from the public.
• There are legitimate reasons for funders to be worried about putting money into a broken system, but these
are outweighed by the potential for impact. People in prison represent both deep need and great potential,
and changing the system would have hugely positive effects across the country.

Reading and the Development of Social Understanding: Implications for the Literacy Classroom

Reading and the Development of Social Understanding- Implications for the Literacy Classroom