National Year of Reading
The National Year of Reading was first announced in the summer but general details of what it will involve have only recently been released. In this blog, we summarise the issues the campaign is looking to address and the plans as we understand them, and then outline how we hope to support you throughout the year.
What is the National Year of Reading?
The National Year of Reading is a year-long, government-backed initiative delivered by the National Literacy Trust. Its aim is to reignite the UK’s love of reading by bringing schools, families, libraries and communities together around the power of stories.
At its heart is a determination to address the steep decline in reading for pleasure, particularly among children.
According to the National Literacy Trust’s research, only one in three 8- to 18-year-olds (roughly 32–35 %) say they enjoy reading in their spare time. Even more concerning is that only around one in five (18 to 20 per cent) read every day.
It may feel as though the issues are familiar, but there are two key differences this time:
- Government backing means there will be funding, resources and CPD on offer.
- There is a shift in focus. The National Literacy Trust’s research highlights ways to re-engage young readers, such as letting children make their own choices, linking reading to their interests and creating inviting reading environments. This has shaped the Go All In campaign, which places more emphasis on the immediate enjoyment of reading rather than long-term academic gains.
What does the programme of events entail?
The programme of events will provide you, as teachers and Literacy Leads, with practical, flexible tools that help further embed a culture of reading in your setting. Resources, webinars, videos, in-person events and conferences will be provided by the National Literacy Trust and its partners, all built around strong evidence and research.
Alongside this, there will be a series of Go All In Together moments, supported by respected authors and celebrities, which will be broadcast nationally. The first is planned for February during National Storytelling Week.
In the spring, there’s to be a focus on your own practice in the classroom; in the summer, the focus will extend to your setting as a whole; then, in the autumn, the programme will look at the wider community. Although details are still emerging, the structure suggests plenty of opportunity to adapt ideas to your context.
How Busy Things aims to support the National Year of Reading
Here at Busy Things, we’re very excited by the National Year of Reading and are truly ready to ‘Go All In’. We know how hard teachers already work to promote reading, often while juggling many competing demands. Our hope is that the programme brings the kind of practical, inspiring resources that schools have been asking for, and that it recognises the nationwide, cross-generational trend that schools cannot tackle alone.
As such, we are keen to see the detail behind the plans to:
- understand how we can support you as teachers, and minimise the impact on your workload
- inspire the children to find more pleasure in their reading, so that they want to dive into books more often, and
- help you engage with parents.
We will be sharing more blog posts on reading for pleasure in the months ahead to help you make the most of the opportunities the National Year of Reading presents. If there’s any support you’d find especially helpful, we’d love to hear your ideas.
What next?
For general information about the programme, and for more specific content for EYFS and primary settings, click below:
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