đ° Adult Literacy News Summary
When literacy thrives, our businesses thrive too
10-Mar-2026 - UK
A week on from World Book Day and many parents and caregivers will still clearly recall the early morning scramble for costumes, last-minute crafting or the frantic search for something that vaguely resembled a book character. Beyond the costumes, though, World Book Day offered a useful moment to pause and think about reading and our relationship with books and literacy.
Read moreTwinkl pledges one million books to help UK children spark a lifelong love for reading
09-Mar-2026 - UK
To celebrate the National Reading Trustâs National Year of Reading campaign educational resource provider Twinkl is donating one million books, in various formats, to children across the UK. The booksâ topics are vast â from adventure stories to comic books, and science-fiction tales to nature books. To help remove any accessibility barriers when it comes to reading the donated books, Twinkl is adopting a âphygitalâ approach, donating both physical and digital books to libraries, schools, book clubs, and families, to help children engage with reading in ways that best suit them.
Read moreDulwich man who learned to read in his 30s urges others in same position to âreach out for helpâ
06-Mar-2026 - UK
A man from Dulwich who learned to read for the first time in his 30s has urged other adults in his position ânot to let the embarrassment winâ and to ask for help. In a week where many schoolchildren have been dressing up as their favourite literary characters to mark World Book Day (Thursday 5 March), 38-year old Ashley has spoken out about his experience learning to read as an adult and the transformative impact it has had on his life. He began his journey in 2024 with the help of local charity Read Easy Southwark who provide one-to-one reading coaching for adults.
Read moreHigh Sheriff celebrates lifeâchanging literacy work of volunteers on World Book Day
05-Mar-2026 - UK
The High Sheriff of West Sussex, Dr Tim Fooks, has praised the work of volunteers helping adults learn to read after meeting members of Read Easy Chichester & Arun at an event in Bognor Regis. Dr Fooks visited the charity at the Sky Lounge at The Shore Community Church, where he met volunteer reading coaches and several adults who are currently learning to read through the programme. The visit highlighted the powerful impact that literacy can have for people who struggled at school or who have spent many years quietly hiding their inability to read.
Read moreCornwall's Voice: Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth
05-Mar-2026 - UK
Reading opens so many doors. It develops imagination, empathy, language and confidence, and children who read regularly tend do better in school and it enriches their lives. But not everyone finds reading easy, and not every home can be filled with books. Time and money are tight, and reading aloud can feel daunting for many. Adults with low literacy face barriers to employment and may also struggle to support their childrenâs learning. But there is help, and groups like âRead Easy Cornwallâ offer free, friendly, confidential coaching, and the National Literacy Trust also provides excellent resources. Audiobooks also offer a brilliant, accessible way to read.
Read moreBook donation campaign to inspire schoolchildren to read a âhuge successâ
05-Mar-2026 - UK
A campaign launched by Fortitude Communications to help inspire children to read has been backed by scores of local authors, schools, business owners and reading enthusiasts. The Oxford-based PR agency partnered with Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) this month and encouraged people to donate good-quality softback books, which volunteers could read to children, the charity engages in schools across Oxfordshire.
Read moreNHS says 3 behaviour issues could be dyslexia sign - they don't include reading or writing
04-Mar-2026 - UK
Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty marked by challenges with reading, writing and spelling. Whilst it doesn't impact someone's intelligence, it can influence other aspects of their life unrelated to literacy, with roughly one in 10 people thought to have some form of dyslexia. Specialists at Evolve Psychology have highlighted three indicators of dyslexia that manifest beyond the classroom, and how a diagnosis can provide struggling children and adults with the necessary support.
Read moreLudlow community groups encouraged to apply for grant
03-Mar-2026 - UK
Ludlow Rotary Cares' is the club's annual scheme delivering grants of up to ÂŁ750 for charities and organisations. Over the past 11 years, the club has handed out ÂŁ60,000 to over 110 community projects through this scheme. Grants also went to groups like the Gallows Bank Millenium Green Trust, which cares for a valued green space in the town, and Read Easy Shropshire Hills, which assists with adult literacy.
Read moreCharities support BBC campaign to improve literacy
03-Mar-2026 - UK
Charities have welcomed the launch of a BBC campaign to champion groups and organisations that support child and adult literacy. One in four children in England do not meet the expected standard in reading by the time they leave primary school, according to figures from the Department for Education, external. School Readers, external, which provides free one-to-one reading support for children in primary schools across the UK, has backed Page Turners, launched by BBC Three Counties Radio.
Read moreESOL cuts are âbizarreâ, says skills minister
02-Mar-2026 - UK
Cutting funding to English language lessons aimed at migrants is a âbizarreâ decision that undermines ambitions to build cohesive communities, the skills minister has said. Jacqui Smith told FE Weekâs Apprenticeship and Training Conference that she was âconcernedâ by this development in Greater Lincolnshire, led by Reform UK mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns. She said the government wants to look âmore broadlyâ at English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision and how officials can âensure it is available everywhereâ. But she highlighted the âchallengeâ of adult skills funding, including ESOL, being devolved and controlled by local mayors.
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