đź“° Adult Literacy News Summary
Volunteers helping adults improve their reading skills
05-Jun-2026 - UK
A charity that helps adults improve their reading skills is marking its fifth year. Volunteers from Read Easy Southampton and Isle of Wight provide free confidential one-to-one coaching for adults who can’t read or find it difficult to read and spell. Read Easy coach, Naomi, and her reader, Samantha, have been speaking to BBC Morning Live about how Read Easy makes such a huge difference to adults who want to improve their reading.
Read moreSponsored walk raises ÂŁ1.4k and counting for Woking literacy charity
04-Jun-2026 - UK
Volunteers have found a great Wey to raise money for a Woking charity that aims to improve the literacy of youngsters in the borough. Well-wishers have raised £1,145 and counting for Let’s Read after taking part in a ten-mile sponsored walk south of Guildford. The charity was formed in 2008 out of the Sheerwater / Maybury Partnership which was created to address inequality within the community.
Read moreQueen 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 moreBritain’s reading revival may be failing to reach those most disconnected from books
03-Jun-2026 - UK
Plenty of adults think of themselves as readers. They remember the books they loved as children, the novels they stayed up late to finish, and the periods of life when reading felt natural and routine. Yet many have not finished a book in months, or even years. This matters because much of the current conversation around reading decline still treats the problem primarily as one of enthusiasm: how to persuade people that books are pleasurable, enriching or culturally valuable. But for some adults, the problem is rebuilding a relationship with reading that stalled years earlier. One finding appears repeatedly: struggling to engage with reading often precedes finding pleasure in reading. Before enjoyment comes interrupted concentration, prolonged effort, embarrassment, and memories of reading associated with judgment or failure.
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 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 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 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 more