More than half of UK children do not read in their spare time, survey reveals. A UK Literacy experts says families and schools need resources to help disadvantaged children develop vital literacy skills. More than half of children and young people do not enjoy reading in their free time, according to a national survey. The charity said reading enjoyment was…
Unlocking More Vital Literacy Support with Reading Realm. We are delighted to announce our upcoming project, Reading Realm. Reading Realm is evolving to offer continuous support for children at every Key Stage, and it’s a valuable addition to the UK Reads programme. This development is based on insights gathered from children, parents, teachers, and industry leaders. Reading Realm will provide…
Celebrate World Book Day and join the worldwide celebration of books and reading. Designated by UNESCO, World Book Day is observed in over 100 countries around the globe with the aims of promoting reading for pleasure and encouraging children and young people to engage with books. This year, in the United Kingdom World Book Day takes place on Thursday 2nd,…
From 2nd-4th April 2023, the World Literacy Foundation will be hosting its fifth World Literacy Summit at Oxford University. The Summit brings together leaders from 85 countries representing over two-thirds of the world’s population, all with a single focus – advocating, championing and educating on the vital importance of improving literacy levels across the globe. It’s the world’s largest gathering…
Free book gifting scheme for disadvantaged pupils launches A total of 30,000 free books are to be given to disadvantaged children across the UK to tackle the ‘literacy gap’. Schools are being encouraged to sign up to literacy charity UK Reads free book scheme, which will provide 30,000 books to children living in disadvantaged communities who don’t have access to their own…
UK Reads & AwesomeBooks Tackle Literacy Gap Leading children’s literacy charity, UK Reads, has partnered with circular economy bookseller AwesomeBooks to tackle the literacy gap by providing more than 30,000 free books to schools in disadvantaged communities. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor in determining a child’s future success, but there are currently more than 413,000 children in the UK who do not…
UK Reads & AwesomeBooks join forces to tackle the literacy gap with more than 30,000 free books sent to children in disadvantaged communities Children’s literacy charity, UK Reads, has partnered with circular economy bookseller AwesomeBooks to tackle the literacy gap by providing more than 30,000 free books to schools in disadvantaged communities. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor…
We are thrilled to announce our new ambassador, children’s author N.G.K. New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan),New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan), New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan), New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan),New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan) New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan), New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan), New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan), New Ambassador, N.G.K. (Nathan) N.G.K. (Nathan) is the writer behind the ‘Harry The Happy Mouse’ series of books, Walter…
Sporty Story Box Project Kicks Off to a Flying Start This Autumn UK Reads held sporty Story Box Projects with Exeter Chiefs rugby star and children’s co-author, Jack Maunder. Following the Covid-19 school closures and ongoing disruptions to learning, the schools UK Reads were working with were desperate to receive additional support for children and families who had become disengaged…
Ending adult illiteracy is the motivation behind UK Reads drive to support childhood literacy; to break the cycle of illiteracy in the UK. That’s why we are working to improve children’s reading standards with a greater urgency following the impact of the pandemic on literacy levels. We support the BBC ‘The Word Matters Project’ and this article highlights the struggles…
Urgency of Children’s Global Literacy Campaign Increases Due to Pandemic On UNESCO World Book Day, the World Literacy Foundation has called for emergency support to improve children’s reading standards after shock figures revealed the impact of the pandemic on literacy levels. Award-winning authors and actors including Stephen Fry and Dame Helen Mirren add their voices to the charity’s call to…
World Literacy Foundation Ambassador Bolu Babalola Named in Forbes 30 Under 30 List for 2021 We are delighted to announce that WLF supporter and Ambassador Bolu Babalola has been recognized by the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for 2021, for her work in Literature and Media. Bolu Babalola, a British writer and journalist, of Nigerian parentage, whose debut novel Love in Colour, which was published in 2020, was a Sunday Times…
Supporting your child with rebuilding literacy confidence This March, UK Reads contributed to an article on TheSchoolRun.com on improving children’s literacy confidence on returning to school, post the COVID19 pandemic: “Much has been said about whether or not children need to ‘catch up’ at school after homeschooling, and it’s natural that having been in lockdown for so long, their confidence…
Covid’s negative impact on children’s literacy prompts authors to back book campaign Best-selling authors are backing a campaign to improve children’s literacy ahead of World Book Day on 4 March to help children who, due to Covid pandemic restrictions, are at higher risk than ever before of falling behind with their reading and vocabulary. Some 380,000 young people living in…
What I’ve Learnt podcast interview is live! Deb Blashki-Marks, host of the ‘What I’ve Learnt’ podcast speaks to our Head of UK and EU, Caroline Burkie, about the World Literacy Foundation’s initiatives, our work in the UK and how vital it is to work together to eradicate illiteracy. Thank you for your dedicated support Deb. Listen here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/47OdkILUMkshg26qa4BC2a?si=SOacnsNjSheZ_zPvNEccgA…
The wonderful Unmumsy Mum Becomes a UK Reads Ambassador UK Reads is delighted to announce that Sarah Turner, aka The Unmumsy Mum has become a supporter. Author, blogger and freelance writer, Sarah lives in Exeter with her husband, James, and their three boys, Henry, Jude and Wilf. In 2013, Sarah started writing her parenting blog and it wasn’t long before…
Dame Helen Mirren Adds Support to the UK Reads Christmas Appeal Dame Helen Mirren has become an Ambassador of the World Literacy Foundation’s (WLF) UK initiative ‘UK Reads‘ and has added her support to their Christmas appeal. Dame Helen said: “Learning to read is such a fundamental skill and sets children up to excel at school and in life, but illiteracy…
Literacy charity UK Reads (@WorldLiteracy) is set to provide 3000 free books to children and young people who do not own a book of their own at home in time for Christmas. One month since it launched, the World Literacy Foundation’s (WLF) UK initiative to provide free books to children has received an overwhelming response from charity partners and community…
UK Reads are delighted to announce Dame Helen Mirren’s support of UK Reads. “Learning to read is such a fundamental skill and sets children up to excel at school and in life, but illiteracy is a reality for many. I am proud to support UK Reads in its aim to bring the joy and power of reading to UK children…
UK Reads: New project to get more kids reading and writing. It’s estimated that 400,000 children in the UK don’t own any books – but a new project has been set up to try and change that. The new programme is called UK Reads. It’s been launched by an international charity – the World Literacy Foundation – which works in…
Adults who actively read for pleasure help students to develop key literacy skills. Parents tend to complain that their children are not reading enough, especially those in secondary school. Pressures of General Certificate of Education (GCSE) and A-Level exams in the United Kingdom take over reading for pleasure and, if ever loved, it has been consigned to a prior life.…
“Give me educated mothers I shall promise you the birth of a civilized educated nation” -Napoleon Learning from Day One In life, education is like water – a necessity. It helps to transform a baby into a thriving adult. In the first moments of life, a baby does not know how to walk, how to eat, how to run. Gradually,…
The damages caused as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are continuing to escalate in all economies of the world. African economies are no exception. Despite the bold interventions of some African states, the coronavirus crisis continues to worsen and its impact is not only limited to health and working methods, but also extends to food, national and international…
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World Literacy Foundation (WLF) aims to eradicate illiteracy by 2040. UK Reads – a WLF initiative focuses directly on the children impacted by illiteracy in the United Kingdom. This initiative provides children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to suitable, fun and engaging free books. New scientific research confirms that a child’s early years brain development shapes the adults they become, the success they achieve and the contributions they make to the economy and society. Research has also identified the “word gap” which means many children who grow up in low-income families enter school with substantially smaller vocabularies than their classmates. This disadvantage leads to further disparities in achievement and success over time, from academic performance, persistence to earnings and family stability, even 20 to 30 years later. UK Reads focuses on early intervention so that every child has the strongest chance to reach their full potential.
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Our UK story so far… In 2005, the World Literacy Foundation started the transportation of children’s books to Africa and a few years later we expanded our programs to the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. In 2012 we began the World Literacy Summit at Oxford University, bringing together the global literacy community to build greater collaboration and partnerships. Due to its success, the summit was held again in 2014, 2018 and in 2020 we moved to a Covid-19 safe online conference. As a response to the vital need for UK children to have access to books at home, supporting parents to become their child’s first teacher and literacy support, UK Reads was launched in 2020. Our UK services will reach 2000+ children this year.
Mission To promote reading skills and literacy for children, beginning at birth to nineteen years old and to support parents to become their child’s first teacher Vision For every child in the UK to have access to free books and the literacy support they need by engaging and supporting families to understand the critical importance of childhood literacy and take a proactive role in their child’s reading development.Our global impact In 2019, the team reached more than 315,000 children and young people with our services in the US, Australia, UK, Africa, and Latin America – all thanks to generous donations and volunteer support. Literacy is the pathway to young people reaching their full potential.
Children today read less frequently than any previous generation and enjoy reading less than young people did in the past, according to new research. Flora Ferguson, with her storybooks. How I managed to raise a little bookworm in the age of smartphones and tablets Read more The work, to be published by the National Literacy Trust in the run-up to World Book Day on Thursday, shows that in 2019 just 26% of under-18s spent some time each day reading. This is the lowest daily level recorded since the charity first surveyed children’s reading habits in 2005. It also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this dwindled with age: nearly twice as many five to eight-year-olds as 14 to 16-year-olds said they took pleasure from reading. Overall, just 53% of children said they enjoyed reading “very much” or “quite a lot” – the lowest level since 2013. The poet and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen said the findings should act as a wake-up call for the government. “We have countless examples of research showing that children who read for pleasure widely and often are best able to benefit from what education offers. Berating parents, children or teachers for ‘failing’ will solve nothing. It [improving reading levels] needs full government backing, with as much money and effort as they put into compulsory phonics teaching, to support schools and communities in this.” The survey found a marked gender divide when it comes to reading for pleasure: less than half (47%) of boys were keen readers, compared with 60% of girls. A third of children surveyed reported being unable to find things to read that interested them. World Book Day, a charity event held annually in the UK and Ireland, will this year call on readers of all ages to “share a million stories” by reading aloud or listening to a story for at least 10 minutes a day with friends and family. World Book Day chief executive Cassie Chadderton said this activity can turn a reluctant reader into a child who reads for pleasure.