đź“° Adult Literacy News Summary

David Hayman: all in for the National Year of Reading

28-Nov-2025 - UK

With the National Year of Reading kicking off in just a month, campaign director David Hayman and the six core Year of Reading team members, based in the National Literacy Trust offices in Vauxhall, London, are preparing for launch while continuing to fundraise towards their £10m goal. “We’ve got big ambitions for the campaign,” Hayman tells The Bookseller, “so that’s looking like a multi-million pound campaign budget, which spreads across the three different buckets of work that we do.”

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Volunteers sought to help with children's reading scheme

28-Nov-2025 - UK

Volunteers are being sought for a Keighley scheme which helps children struggling with their reading. The volunteers read weekly with children online. Keighley Town Council and literacy charity Chapter One have partnered to fund up to 10 recruits. This academic year, Chapter One is working with pupils at Holycroft, Merlin Top and St Joseph's primary schools.

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Oldham primary schools receive ÂŁ62k boost for pupils' literacy

27-Nov-2025 - UK

Primary schools across Oldham are set to benefit from a significant literacy boost this month, thanks to the Bookmark Reading Charity. The initiative, part of the charity’s acclaimed Your Story Corner programme, will bring new opportunities to inspire a love of reading among young learners. Bookmark Reading Charity is investing £62,000 across 31 schools in Oldham, marking the town as the latest community to benefit from the initiative.

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Edinburgh education well above national average as literacy rates rise in schools

26-Nov-2025 - UK

Edinburg schools are well above the national average in terms of later-years attainment, while literacy levels have improved steadily in primary schools, according to figures detailed by the council. The attainment gap between pupils from the richest and poorest learners narrowed in literacy and later-years attainment, but in numeracy these figures were mixed. One of the City of Edinburgh Council’s stated aims in education is to close this attainment gap and allow learners from the most deprived areas equal opportunities.

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Is AI Changing The Kind Of Jobs The UK Will Have By 2035?

25-Nov-2025 - UK

Researchers from The Skills Imperative 2035 programme report that the UK workforce is moving into a decade shaped heavily by artificial intelligence and automation. Their findings show that jobs linked to routine tasks are shrinking at pace, while roles tied to judgement, communication and problem solving are coming up strongly. They say these shifts are happening faster than early estimates, and this means the shape of work is changing across every region. The research shows early inequalities strongly impacts who reaches high skill jobs later on. They found that gaps in communication, literacy, numeracy and confidence start early and widen through school years.

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Literacy campaign launched in Isle of Wight primary schools

25-Nov-2025 - UK

Let’s Go See, an independent children’s brand based in the UK, delivered its Educational Outreach Programme to 36 primary schools on the Isle of Wight in October 2025 as part of a nationwide literacy and learning movement. The Isle of Wight has been identified as one of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas for literacy, with one in three children leaving school unable to read at age level.

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Hundreds of courses on offer

24-Nov-2025 - UK

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has commissioned 22 training providers to deliver learning as part of a ÂŁ10.8 million Adult Skills Fund. The programme offers adults aged 19 and over the skills to secure work, for further learning or for personal growth

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Reverse adult education cuts now, protesters tell MPs

23-Nov-2025 - UK

Around 400 adult learners and college lecturers descended on Parliament this week to demand their MPs seek a reversal of adult education funding cuts. As part of its Save Adult Education campaign, organisers at the University and College Union (UCU) arranged a mass lobby for lecturers and learners to speak to MPs about the impact of the government’s ongoing reductions to adult skills funding. They also urged MPs to protect courses and jobs at institutes for adult learning and provide the right to free English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses as part of a “social integration plan”.

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Keep Colchester Reading launches Christmas book giving appeal

23-Nov-2025 - UK

Free books will be delivered to families this Christmas as a community appeal returns to the city. Keep Colchester Reading was founded by councillor Lee Scordis in 2020 with the aim of encouraging more people to read over the festive season. Mr Scordis said in the last year a minimum of four books, including one non-fiction book, were delivered to 150 families across the city. The scheme was created to ensure no child or family goes without presents at Christmas and to increase literacy and promote a love of reading in society.

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Shropshire community groups receive funding boost from Co-op’s Local Community Fund

21-Nov-2025 - UK

Shropshire community groups are this week celebrating sharing a funding boost from Co-op’s Local Community Fund. Thirteen Shropshire causes share almost £25,000, including: Read Easy Shropshire Hills: £1,922 to help adults who struggle with reading by providing free, confidential, one-to-one coaching either face-to-face or online.

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