đź“° Adult Literacy News Summary
Queen joins celebrations at British Library to mark National Year of Reading
03-Jun-2026 - UK
The Queen cut a cake in the shape of a marmalade sandwich alongside Paddington Bear, as the fictional character was unveiled as the National Year of Reading ambassador for 2026. Camilla joined 150 volunteers and schoolchildren in the British Library on Wednesday to mark the National Year of Reading, and take part in The Big Lunch, across several marquees in the venue’s piazza. Camilla, who is patron of the National Literacy Trust, also visited the library’s Fairy Tales exhibition, where she saw children dress up as characters and took part in an improvised storytelling activity, which she began with the words: “Once upon a time.”
Read moreI devoured classic novels as a teenager. In a world of distractions, can I relearn how to read them?
02-Jun-2026 - UK
It is a privilege to be surrounded by books. My parents hail from the literary working class, a subsection of society that believes great works lead to a richer life. The page makes few demands. It is linear and monologic, allowing us to focus on a single task. The page has no pop-ups, no calls to action, no ads clamouring for attention. Screens have altered the way we read. They promote a shallower reading experience, encourage skimming and scanning. Work exacerbates the problem. More of us now occupy managerial rather than manual roles, according to the National Readership Survey. We spend days staring at screens, drowning in instant messages, emails and work slop. But the biggest problem with classics is the absence of practice. Nancy Yousef, a professor of English at Yale, explains the issue with reading 18th- and 19th-century novels. “The main challenge has to do with the length and complexity of sentences that we’re no longer used to,” Yousef says.
Read moreTudor Grange Academy Worcester unveils new outdoor classroom
02-Jun-2026 - UK
A city school has unveiled an outdoor classroom designed for 'nature-based learning'. The Literacy and Learning Lodge at Tudor Grange Academy offers pupils a nature-based alternative to traditional teaching, particularly those with special educational needs and vulnerabilities. Funded by a £12,000 grant from children’s rugby charity Wooden Spoon, with additional support from Tudor Grange Academies Trust, the project aims to improve learning experiences through outdoor education
Read moreJack Reacher author Lee Child wants to cut crime by teaching prisoners to read
01-Jun-2026 - UK
Top crime writer Lee Child has spent his career inhabiting the world of criminals - at least imaginatively. Now, the international bestselling author is going inside UK prisons in the hopes of cutting reoffending. His latest project is all about giving back. As the UK’s first ever Prison Reading Laureate, Child hopes that the long-term effects will stretch far beyond the literacy sessions. The aim of the project is to prevent one in 10 released prisoners from reoffending by giving them the skills they need to thrive beyond incarceration. As the pilot scheme is only in its infancy, the results remain to be seen - but the appetite for change is there in prisons.
Read moreBooks given away in bid to inspire a love of reading
01-Jun-2026 - UK
Experian has given away hundreds of free books to children in Nottingham at the Green Hustle Festival, helping to inspire a love of reading among local families. Aimed at children aged three to ten, the initiative sought to encourage early reading habits within the community, following research that shows Nottingham ranks as the 12th most literacy‑vulnerable city in the UK. The city records an average literacy score of 2.25, compared with the national average of 5. The book giveaway forms part of a nationwide campaign designed to highlight the vital role reading plays in developing children’s literacy skills from an early age, and the long‑term benefits this can have on financial capability later in life.
Read moreColleges can do more to tackle the NEET challenge – if we let them
31-May-2026 - UK
Alan Milburn’s diagnostic report on England’s persistent NEET problem makes a compelling case that the systems meant to support young people are no longer designed for the lives they lead or the labour market they are entering. Colleges already support hundreds of thousands of young people as they take their first steps into work and adult life. Every day, they help students build confidence, gain skills and find direction. But with the right investment and policies, colleges could do far more: for pupils under 16 who are already at risk of disengaging, for 16-year-olds who need a supportive place to learn, and for 18-year-olds entering adult life without the education or training they need to secure good jobs
Read moreChichester charity tackles steep decline in teenage reading
31-May-2026 - UK
Evidence points to a steep decline in reading for pleasure among teenagers. Chichester-based charity Children’s BookFest is determined to do something about it. The charity, which brings authors, poets and illustrators into local schools to inspire a love of reading, has launched BookFest YA, a new programme aimed at 11-17 year-olds, an initiative which extends into secondary education to support young people at a critical stage in their reading journey. BookFest YA aims to respond to a national challenge with local action, with a series of opportunities designed to engage young people across the district, including those in school and those educated at home.
Read moreLitUp’s Battle of Hastings: reading on the up in one of England’s most deprived area
29-May-2026 - UK
A Bloomsbury and National Literacy Trust classroom initiative on the Sussex coast is gaining significant ground in the reading-for-pleasure fight. As reading enjoyment hit a 20-year low nationally for kids (according to the NLT’s most recent statistics), LitUp has been moving reluctant readers in the other direction. The Bloomsbury and NLT schools outreach partnership began in 2022 with the publisher supplying books, other materials and author visits. Since launch, more than 16,000 books were donated in Hastings to the participating schools, 2,122 children took part in author visits, and 436 children and parents attended Teatime Tales, the in-school family reading sessions.
Read moreHow learning to read alters the brain’s approach to spoken language
29-May-2026 - UK
Learning to read written text fundamentally alters the pathways the human brain uses to process spoken words. According to a recent study, adults with formal literacy training recruit a specialized region on the right side of the brain to identify isolated speech sounds, a neurological response absent in people with limited reading education. The research was recently published in the journal Cortex. Spoken language has been a universal behavior of human beings for hundreds of thousands of years. Reading and writing are relatively recent cultural inventions. Because the brain did not evolve specifically to read, it must repurpose existing visual and linguistic networks to make sense of written text.
Read moreNo easy solutions to fix youth unemployment crisis, says ex-Labour minister
28-May-2026 - UK
The crisis of more than a million young people neither working nor learning has “no easy solutions”, a Labour former minister has warned amid fears of a lost generation without urgent change. One-time health secretary Alan Milburn warned a “whole system failure” has led to nearly one in seven of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training, known as Neets. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Mr Milburn’s report as “sobering”, and said he “will not allow a lost generation”.
Read more