📰 Adult Literacy News Summary
Child literacy scheme achieves 'excellent results'
09-Jul-2025 - UK
A literacy initiative which was launched in secondary schools has achieved "excellent results", the States of Guernsey has said. The Thinking Reading programme was launched at the start of the academic year to help improve the reading ability of students in Year 7. The government said the scheme was part of the education committee's commitment to "closing the literacy gap for students most in need".
Read moreGrowing demand for English language courses in Donegal
08-Jul-2025 - Ireland
MORE than 1,500 people in Donegal are registered on special courses to assist them in learning the English language. The figures were revealed at this week’s meeting of the Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB). English classes for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are administered through Donegal ETB and are held in locations all around the county. Such is the demand that there are waiting lists to start courses in some areas.
Read moreTrump’s Funding Delay Will Devastate Adult Literacy Programs
07-Jul-2025 - USA
The Education Department is refusing to spend $715 million to educate adults who do not have a high school diploma or who are English learners
Read moreRead Easy South Dorset appeal for new reading volunteers
07-Jul-2025 - UK
A reading charity is calling for new volunteers to help adults improve their literacy skills. Read Easy South Dorset, which covers Weymouth, Portland, and Dorchester, offers free one-to-one reading coaching for adults. The group is now appealing for more volunteers to join its team of coaches to meet growing demand.
Read moreParents Urged: Read More to Boost Kids' Life Chances
06-Jul-2025 - UK
Education Secretary urges parents to swap scrolling with reading as she launches a National Year of Reading for 2026 to boost kids' literacy and life chances. The Education Secretary is calling on parents to lead by example and make reading a daily habit to help reverse the decline in reading for pleasure, to help give kids the best start in life as part of the Plan for Change.
Read moreVolunteers needed for 'life-changing' literacy charity
02-Jul-2025 - UK
A local branch of a charity that teaches adults to read are urgently looking for more volunteers. Read Easy is a national charity that provides a free, one-to-one and confidential learning facility for those in the community who either cannot read or struggle to do so. The Okehampton branch are urgently looking for more volunteers to help those in need in the community.
Read moreSome education grants in limbo were used for ‘leftwing agenda,’ Trump administration says
02-Jul-2025 - USA
The Trump administration has accused states and schools of using federal education grants earmarked for immigrants’ children and low-income students to help fund "a radical leftwing agenda". The administration this week withheld more than $6 billion intended for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more, saying it would review the grants to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s priorities.
Read moreReading comprehension improves amongst Scotland pupils
02-Jul-2025 - UK
Five years on from the disruption of lockdown, young readers are engaging with more challenging books—and understanding them better – according to a new study authored by a University of Dundee education expert.
Read moreDevon secures £1.4m boost to expand adult learning and job skills
01-Jul-2025 - UK
More adults across Devon and Torbay are set to gain vital skills and qualifications thanks to a £1.4 million funding boost from the Department for Education. Devon County Council has confirmed plans to commission additional adult learning provision from external providers starting this August, after its cabinet approved the move on Wednesday, June 25.
Read morePolitical opinion with Alison Bennett MP: Adventure awaits at your library: from storytime to strong minds
01-Jul-2025 - UK
This Saturday is the beginning of The Reading Agency’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge in England and Wales. This year’s challenge - based around the theme of ‘Story Garden- Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors’ - gives children the opportunity to visit our local libraries and celebrate nature through reading. Getting children reading is very important, especially given that the UK is facing a literacy crisis. According to the National Literacy Trust, the number of children who read for pleasure is at its lowest in 20 years. This decline has long-term consequences for these children throughout their lives, with The Reading Agency reporting that 8.5 million UK adults struggle to read.
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