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The Young Readers Programme (YRP) motivates children to read for enjoyment by running a series of three literacy-focused events, teaching children strategies to choose books that are right for them, and showing them that reading can be enjoyable. One of the most effective ways of developing children's literacy skills is to engage them in reading for enjoyment, and this helps children and young people to enjoy more opportunities throughout their lives as a result. To demonstrate this outcome, the National Literacy Trust presents its 2015/16 evaluation of the Young Readers Programme based upon a pre- and post-survey of participating children and a reflective post-survey of participating teachers, as well as interviews and group discussions with teachers, children, and volunteers. Key findings from the report show: (1) Children who took part in the YRP read an increased range of reading materials at the end of the project; (2) Children who took part in the YRP showed improved attitudes towards reading. In particular, they believed that their own reading ability and book choice skills improved; and (3) Children who started the project not seeing themselves as good readers and not enjoying reading show particularly positive reading outcomes. This evaluation suggests that the programme has the potential to ignite a love of reading in those who have not yet fully explored their reading preferences, and also suggests that the Young Readers Programme is successful in reaching out to disengaged readers.

Do pupils who use Accelerated Reader (AR) think differently about reading, do they enjoy reading more and do they do it more often than pupils who do not use AR? We explore this question using two sources of data. The first utilises data from our 2014 annual literacy survey in which more than 32,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18 participated. 3 in 10 (29.9%; N = 9,551) of participating pupils said that they use AR. The 2014 findings are contextualised by recourse to findings we made in 2012 and 2013. The second source uses data from a longitudinal study we set up in 2011. We followed 1,500 pupils who were aged seven to eight (Year 3) in 2011 until they were aged 10 to 11 (Year 6) in 2014. 37% of these pupils said that they used AR in 2011. All pupils completed our attitudinal survey each year, and each year schools also sent us their attainment data. These data uniquely allow us to compare AR pupils with non-AR children over time on their reading enjoyment, reading behaviour and reading attitudes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets unanimously show that more pupils who use AR enjoy reading, read frequently and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use AR. Our analyses also show that reading enjoyment is the only variable in a complex interplay of variables that has a strong bi-directional influence, regardless of gender and whether children use AR or not, not only highlights the importance of reading enjoyment as a variable that matters, but also underlines the need to develop effective methods to encourage children and young people to read for enjoyment. We are hopeful that an increased understanding of the relationships between reading enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and skills will not only help us to strengthen the work carried out across the National Literacy Trust and the sector, but it will also help us to influence education policy and practice to promote the importance of reading for pleasure. Two appendices are included.

The National Literacy Trust is a national charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK. Their research and analysis make them the leading authority on literacy. They run projects in the poorest communities, campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents, and support schools. RM Books is a market-leading ebooks platform designed specifically for schools. In early 2014, RM Books provided funding to allow a study of the impact of ebooks on pupils' reading skills and motivation over the academic year September 2014 to July 2015. Prior to the study, the National Literacy Trust conducted a rapid literature review to explore some of the research available on the role of technology in the literacy lives of young people. This final report outlines findings about the impact of access to an ebooks platform on pupils' reading motivation and skills over the academic year 2014/15. Schools from across the UK provided attitudinal and attainment data before and after running an ebooks project with a group of pupils, and a selection of practitioners and pupils also took part in interviews and focus groups to allow the exploration of initial findings in more depth. [For the pilot report: "The Impact of eBooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People: A Rapid Literature Review," see ED560635.]

Early Words Together is a National Literacy Trust programme that develops young children's communication, language and literacy through the support of families by peer volunteers. Over six weeks, the programme brings practitioners and volunteers together to enable target families to improve their home learning environment for children aged two to five. The programme is delivered through small group sessions of one and a half hours, and includes an important peer support factor that helps parents: (1) Understand why they are important to their child's reading and language development; (2) Adopt effective activities to enrich their play, engagement and attachment with their child; and (3) Benefit and increase their child's literacy, communication and language development. The two-year pilot programme, funded by the Department of Education, was rolled out in 120 children's centres and early years settings from April 2013 to March 2015, involving nearly 1,000 volunteers and 1,850 parents. A school readiness checklist is appended. This report highlights the findings of the evaluation and provides key recommendations.

Since 2008, the financial crisis has had a profound social and economic impact on the UK's most vulnerable communities. Literacy influences individual capability in all spheres of life. In times of economic instability, low literacy makes individuals and communities more vulnerable to inequality, increasing the risk of social exclusion and undermining social mobility. This report explores how low literacy in the UK affects both employment and economic outcomes, health levels and health inequalities, and exacerbates factors associated with criminal offending. Using "Literacy Changes Lives" (2008) as a starting point, the report goes further to uncover the impact of poor literacy on the individual, society and the UK. The report is published within a challenging national context that enables researchers to refocus upon why literacy is a fundamental issue in the UK. Furthermore, the economy is changing, with the number of jobs requiring graduate qualifications surpassing those requiring none. The UK is faced with a productivity gap and skills shortage. On top of this, health inequality within the UK remains high with a seven-year difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest communities. This comes at a time when the National Health Service faces increasing pressure from rising costs. In relation to crime, the prison population continues to rise, with a high social and economic cost attached. On a more positive note, the report shows how improvements in literacy can impact the individual, society, and the UK to create positive long-lasting change. [This report was written by the National Literacy Trust and commissioned by Save the Children. The research for this report has informed the publication "How reading can help children escape poverty" produced by the Read On. Get On. Coalition. The Read On. Get On. campaign brings together teachers and other professionals, charities, businesses, publishers and local communities to argue for the historic goal of all children reading well by the age of 11 by 2025.]

While ebooks have been around for many years, recent rapid improvements in the versatility and affordability of e-readers and tablets, along with increased access to broadband internet, have lead to a dramatic rise in household ownership of these devices. Between 2012 and 2013, the proportion of children responding to the National Literacy Trust's annual literacy survey who owned an e-reader rose from 20% to 30%, while tablet ownership increased from 38% to 65% and smartphone ownership from 38% to 70%. A 2013 Ofcom survey found that tablet use at home by children aged 5 to 15 almost tripled between 2012 and 2013, rising from 14% to 42%,. Electronic publishing has also developed during this time, allowing readers access to an ever-growing range and quality of ebooks, whenever and wherever they happen to have their portable device to hand. Academic and media interest in the difference between reading in print and reading on screen has grown as devices and software facilitating reading on screen become a greater part of everyday life, leading to a growing field of observation exploring the relationship between children's reading on screen and their reading skills and behaviour. While, until recently, the quality and quantity of ebooks for children has not been sufficient to provide material for large-scale longitudinal studies, many aspects of reading on screen have been explored in a range of international and national research. This rapid review draws together findings from studies related to children's screen reading behaviour, enjoyment and skills, both from secondary sources and in (as yet unpublished) findings from the National Literacy Trust's annual literacy survey 2012, which included questions examining the interplay between children's use of technology and their reading habits. National Literacy Trust survey sample characteristics are appended.

This report outlines findings about children's and young people's reading from our fourth annual literacy survey conducted in November/December 2013. 29,422 young people aged eight to 16 participated. Some of the key findings for 2013 include: (1) Levels of reading enjoyment have improved for the first time since 2005 (see Figure 2, p. 9); (2) 32.2% of young people read outside class every day, with another 28.3% reading a few times a week. However, a fifth of young people (20.2%) say that they rarely or never read outside class (see Table 8, p. 31); (3) Technology-based formats such as text messages (70.3%), websites (54.5%) and magazines (52.7%) are most commonly read outside class at least once a month (see Table 7 , pp. 28); (4) 6 in 10 children and young people (60.4%) say that they have a favourite book or story. Figure 1 highlights some of the most frequently named stories or books that children and young people in 2013; (5) Many young people think positively about reading (see Tables 13.1 to 13.10, pp. 40). 82.5% agree that "the more I read, the better I become", and 39.0% agree that "reading is cool"; (6) Young people who enjoy reading very much are nearly four times as likely to read above the level expected for their age compared with young people who do not enjoy reading at all; (7) The gap between boys and girls in terms of their enjoyment of reading continues to narrow; (8) Enjoyment of reading has increased slightly across all three key stages. The biggest increase was seen in KS3 pupils (aged 11 to 14), where levels of enjoyment increased by 4 percentage points from 45.5% to 49.5%; (9) Enjoyment levels have increased in both KS2 and KS4 boys in 2013; and (10) The gap in the enjoyment of reading between young people who receive free school meals and those who do not narrowed considerably between 2011 and 2012, decreasing from a 5.5 percentage point difference in 2011 to a 3 percentage point difference in 2012. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics

In 2012, Oxfordshire County Council commissioned the National Literacy Trust to deliver a two-year campaign, the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, to address falling Key Stage 1 literacy levels in the county's primary schools, which were amongst the worst in the country. The aims of the campaign were to increase the proportion of children reaching the expected level of 2b in national reading assessment tests (and preferably to surpass this), as well as to help instill a love of reading in children and create communities where reading for enjoyment is supported. While all schools in the county were welcome to participate, 81 target schools were identified, through analysis of national reading assessment test results and other data, as those that would most benefit from the campaign, and were therefore strongly encouraged to join. The majority of the schools that participated in the campaign came from this target group. This report will look in further detail at how the campaign was designed and delivered and will reveal how these successes were achieved. It will also indicate the challenges faced during the two years and how they were addressed, before discussing the campaign's legacy and the support offered to enable schools to continue building on their success.

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a tool for monitoring and managing independent reading practice. Although a wealth of data is routinely collected about children's reading skills as part of the AR tool, no information is collected on the "softer" reading outcomes, such as reading enjoyment and attitudes towards reading. The National Literacy Trust was therefore commissioned by Renaissance Learning in 2012 to help plug that gap using data from our third annual literacy. They found that children and young people who use AR tend to enjoy reading more, read more often, read a greater variety of fiction texts and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use AR. To see whether these findings could be replicated with another cohort of pupils, the Trust was again commissioned by Renaissance Learning in 2013 to explore the impact of AR on children's reading enjoyment, behaviour and attitudes. 29,422 children and young people aged eight to 16 participated in the survey, which was conducted in November/December 2013. This survey, amongst other literacy aspects, explores whether young people enjoy reading, how often they read outside class and for how long, what type of materials they read outside class, how many books they read in a month and what they think about reading. Using a question from the 2013 annual literacy survey that simply asked pupils whether they use Accelerated Reader or not, results showed that nearly a third (28.1%, N = 8,031) of children and young people said that they use AR; 47.7% said they do not use AR, while 24.2% were not sure whether they do or not. The quarter of children and young people who were not sure were excluded from the analyses in this report. The results of this second survey corroborate findings from the previous year and show that children and young people who use Accelerated Reader (AR) are more likely to enjoy reading, read more often and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use this reading tool. Children and young people who use AR are also more likely to see a link between their reading and their success compared with their peers who do not use AR. An appendix provides an introduction to the annual literacy survey. [For the 2012 report, see ED556333.]

The National Literacy Trust's Premier League Reading Stars has now been running for 10 years. During this time, hundreds of thousands of children and families have been inspired by the power of football to develop a love of reading. Although the programme has grown and evolved over this period, the premise remains the same: harnessing the motivational power of football to inspire young people to read more and to improve their literacy skills. The reading intervention targets children and young people who are not yet fans of reading but who are passionate about football. In 2013 the National Literacy Trust undertook an in-depth research study into the impact of the programme. There was a dramatic effect on young people who had previously struggled with literacy, which was even greater than in 2012: (1) 3 out of 4 children made at least 6 months' progress in just 10 weeks. 1 child in 3 made a year's progress, or more; (2) The number of children who enjoy reading "very much" tripled as a result of taking part; (3) The number of children who read every day doubled; (4) 7 out of 10 say that they are now proud to be readers; (5) Nearly half joined their public library; (6) 2 out of 3 say that as a result of taking part they now have a favorite author; and (7) Nearly 9 out of 10 participants said that seeing Premier League footballers read has made them want to read more.

In July 2012 the National Literacy Trust were commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council to deliver the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, a two-year initiative targeting Oxfordshire primary schools and the wider community, with the aim of substantially improving reading levels at Key Stage 1 and to increase the number of pupils reaching level 2b+. This report evaluates the first year of the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, which took place from September 2012 to July 2013. It outlines the success of the campaign which has led to an increase in literacy levels and literacy engagement at Key Stage 1 across Oxfordshire. It also shows that there has been a positive change in the confidence of parents and community members who now feel more confident to support their child's literacy development. Two appendices are included: (1) Evaluation Methodology; and (2) Project X Code Annual Report.

This short report explores how many young people sit down with their family at mealtimes, how often they talk with their family when they do and the relationship between mealtime talk and young people's confidence in and attitudes towards communication skills. Using data from the latest annual survey of 34,910 children and young people, it shows that that children and young people who sit down to eat dinner and talk with their family are more confident communicators than those who do not. There is a renewed focus on speaking and listening skills in primary schools from September 2014 as part of the Government's proposals for a revised National Curriculum. Data from this annual survey of 34,910 children and young people show that the majority of children and young people (87%) say that they sit down with their family at mealtimes; of those, 74.2% talk with their family daily when they do. However, 7.1% never or rarely talk with their family when having their meals. The findings in this short report show that families can play their part in giving their children a solid foundation in speaking and listening skills by taking simple steps like chatting together at mealtimes.

Using secondary sources as well as National Literacy Trust survey data, this short report outlines how important young people think literacy skills are to their employment prospects and what skills they believe are particularly important. It also briefly outlines the important role that technology plays in the lives of young people and the degree to which this is linked to wider employment skills. A complementary report presents evidence on employers' views on literacy and employability. [For the complementary report "Employers' Views on Youth Literacy and Employability," see ED560637.]

This report looks at whether employers think schools are equipping young people with the literacy skills required for the workplace. It is primarily based on secondary literature sources and introductory conversations with a small sample of key employers and agencies. A complementary report presents evidence on young people's views on literacy and employability. A bibliography is included. [For the complimentary report "Young People's Views on Literacy Skills and Employment", see ED560636.]

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a powerful tool that motivates students of all ages and abilities to read for pleasure. A wealth of data is routinely collected about children's reading skills to monitor and help manage their independent reading. However, no information is collected on the "softer" reading outcomes, such as reading enjoyment and attitudes towards reading. National Literacy Trust was therefore commissioned by Renaissance Learning to help plug that gap using data from the Trust's third annual literacy survey conducted in November/December 2012. 34,910 children and young people aged eight to 16 participated in the survey, which, amongst other literacy aspects, explores whether young people enjoy reading, how often they read outside class and for how long, what type of materials they read outside class, how many books they read in a month and what they think about reading. In order to explore the differences, if any, between children and young people who use AR and those who do not in terms of their reading enjoyment and reading attitudes, a question was inserted in this survey, which simply asked children whether they use Accelerated Reader or not. Overall, findings show that children and young people who use AR are more likely to enjoy reading, to do it more often, to read a greater variety of fiction genres and to think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use this reading tool. This holds particularly true for boys, and pupils in KS3 (aged 11 to 14) and KS4 (14 to 16). An appendix provides an introduction to the annual literacy survey.

The National Literacy Trust's Words for Work programme is an innovative way for schools and businesses to join forces and address the nation's employability. Volunteers from the corporate world are partnered with secondary schools within their community to explore speaking and listening in the workplace through a range of workshops, aiming to develop confidence and knowledge of communication skills in context of employability issues for young people participating. Trust's staff tracked self-reflective surveys of 232 students before and after the project took place to measure changes in a number of areas around communication, confidence and thoughts about future employment. In addition, they tracked teachers' thoughts on 109 students' progress at three points during the project: pre, mid-point and post-project. These are the headline results of this evaluation: (1) The programme raised confidence in young people; (2) The programme raised awareness and knowledge of employment in young people; and (3) The programme helped young people to improve their communication skills. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

Transforming Writing is a two-year action research project which aims to develop a model for the teaching and learning of writing that more fully incorporates a focus on embedded formative assessment. In the first year of the project, the 12 participating schools developed a model of writing underpinned by Talk for Writing, an approach developed by Pie Corbett and Julia Strong. This interim report evaluates to what extent the model of writing developed by the teachers during the first year of research impacts on children's writing in terms of attainment, confidence and engagement. The evidence so far suggests that the focused use of formative assessment by teachers with children and by children with peers can make a major difference to children's writing progress in terms of attainment, engagement and confidence. This report identifies some of the successful classroom approaches to embedded formative assessment in writing teachers developed in the first year of the research project. The report suggests that during Transforming Writing research, teachers became evaluators and activators in the sense that Hattie (2012) proposes. Teacher interviews and reflections reveal that teachers were evaluating the effect their teaching had on the children's learning then using the powerful feedback that formative assessment provided to rapidly respond and adjust teaching of writing. Teachers saw their key role as evaluating their effect on children's learning of writing and then responding by implementing deliberate and focused interventions. Appended are: (1) Glossary; (2) Talk for Writing--what is it?; and (3) Table to show connections between the developing practice and findings of participating teachers on the Transforming Writing project in Phase 1 of the research project and the research of John Hattie. (Contains 21 figures and 14 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.]

Research shows that early intervention is vital to improve the life chances of children in areas and situations of disadvantage. One also knows that many less advantaged families feel more comfortable receiving advice about supporting their children's literacy from a friend or peer rather than a professional, and equally that many people are keen to support families in their local community with their children's literacy. The London Literacy Champions is a community volunteering project that aims to improve children's literacy in the capital, by boosting parents' confidence and their ability to support their children's literacy development. This project is complementary to local authority early intervention initiatives and intends to support communities in working together to help more children reach their potential. The National Literacy Trust is expanding this work to share learning to selected new areas, both within London and nationally, through funding from the charitable arm of a publishing house. London Literacy Champions used the unique power of volunteers to shift the attitudes and behaviours of families in their communities, giving them the confidence and knowledge to support their children's literacy development. Over 450 volunteers helped reach more than 1,600 families across the capital, providing them with focused and dedicated time within their often busy lives to engage with their child's communication and literacy. Appended are: (1) Volunteer equal opportunities data; (2) Parent equal opportunities data; (3) Evaluation sample sizes; (4) Literacy Champions training evaluation form; (5) Family referral form; (6) Volunteer journal; (7) Parent/career follow-up survey; (8) Key person follow-up survey; (9) Setting survey; (10) Literacy Ambassador family survey; and (11) Volunteer exit survey. (Contains 17 figures and 12 footnotes.) [Funding was provided by the Mayor of London and the Reuben Foundation.]

This report only outlines findings that relate to writing, taken from the author's second annual literacy survey, which she conducted in November/December 2011. Nearly 21,000 young people aged 8 to 16 participated. Writing is an important issue in the UK today. While children's and young people's writing standards had plateaued between 2006 and 2009, levels at KS2 (11-year-olds) had increased slightly in 2010 and have increased again in 2011. However, writing is much more than just an educational issue--it is an essential skill that allows people to participate fully in today's society and to contribute to the economy. Because of the centrality of writing in people's lives, the survey provided the author with areas that she wanted to explore annually. More specifically, it explores how much young people enjoy writing, how good they think they are, how often they write and what types of materials they write, and how they feel about writing. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the National Literacy Trust annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 32 tables, 6 figures and 15 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by Slaughter and May.]

Literacy is the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfil our potential. These life skills are essential to the happiness, health and wealth of individuals and society. "Literacy: State of the Nation" provides a coherent picture of literacy in the UK today. It reveals that: (1) One in six people in the UK struggle with literacy. This means their literacy is below the level expected of an eleven year old; (2) A quarter of young people do not recognise a link between reading and success; (3) Men and women with poor literacy are least likely to be in full-time employment at the age of thirty; (4) 73% of parents and carers say their child often reads; (5) The number of children achieving the expected levels for reading at age eleven is 84% in 2011; and (6) The number of children achieving the expected levels for writing at age eleven is 75% in 2011. (Contains 33 notes.)

This research was funded by law firm Slaughter and May and carried out with 21,000 children and young people across the UK. One of its key findings is that children and young people are reading less as their lives get more crowded. In 2005 the researchers found that four young people in 10 read daily outside of class. This research carried out at the end of 2011 found that only three young people in 10 now read daily in their own time. However, the number of children and young people who enjoy reading very much or quite a lot has remained static since 2005 (50% today vs 51% in 2005). These findings together suggest a clear issue with children's and young people's leisure time with many children and young people enjoying reading but pushing it out in favour of other activities. The research found that: (1) More than a fifth of children and young people (22%) rarely or never read in their own time; (2) More than half (54%) prefer watching TV to reading; (3) Nearly a fifth (17%) would be embarrassed if their friends saw them reading; and (4) 77% of children and young people read magazines in 2005 now just 57% do, comic reading has dropped from 64% to 50%, reading on websites from 64% to 50%. The researchers believe it is essential to make the time for children and young people to read as the research also shows a clear link between reading outside of class and their achievement. It found that young people who read outside of class daily were 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology: Participation rate; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 15 figures, 42 tables, and 18 footnotes.)

The National Literacy Trust's Young Readers Programme has always worked successfully with schools and libraries in areas of deprivation for over 15 years. The Trust staff have recently started some pilot work with looked-after children both in residential and foster care. As part of this work they undertook some desk-based research to assess the current situation as to looked-after children and literacy, what interventions were already out there and what they could learn from previous projects. The National Literacy Trust is seeking to adapt the programme for residential units and adapt the model for families to best meet the needs of looked-after children in foster care and carers. This programme already encourages links with the local library.

Parents play a pivotal role in their children's education and literacy is one of the areas where parents have the relatively simple facilities, such as books or other reading materials, to become involved and to make a significant difference. In addition to reading with their children, parents can also show them that they value reading as a worthwhile activity by encouraging them to read and by reading themselves. These two activities are the focus of this short report on findings from the authors' annual research. A significant area of concern highlighted by the report is that fathers are far less likely to support their children's reading. Far fewer fathers than mothers encourage their children to read, with one in three fathers giving no reading encouragement to their children at all. Mothers are twice as likely to be seen reading by their child than fathers, with one third of dads never seen with a book, newspaper or magazine. This report shows that what parents say, and what they do, can have a considerable impact on young people's reading enjoyment, confidence and attainment. Appended are: (1) An introduction to the annual literacy survey; (2) Methodology; and (3) Sample characteristics. (Contains 3 figures, 13 tables, and 8 footnotes.)

This report outlines research that was conducted in February 2012 at the launch of the National Literacy Trust's Words for Life campaign that encourages parents to support their children's communication and literacy development and gives them the confidence to feel they can make a positive difference. The campaign was set up as it is parents who have the greatest influence over how their children develop literacy skills. It is primarily aimed at parents of children aged from birth to eleven from disadvantaged communities. The survey revealed that a third of parents don't realise they have the most important influence on their child's language and literacy development. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

The gender gap has been a hotly debated issue, both nationally and internationally. In 2000, the then Department for Education and Schools commissioned a four-year study into raising boys' achievement. The commission worked with over 60 primary, secondary and special schools in England to identify and evaluate the strategies highlighted to be particularly beneficial in motivating boys. This short report outlines information that has come to light in recent years. The evidence comes from three sources: the views of practitioners from a survey of 226 UK schools on the issue; the academic and policy perspectives from secondary sources; and the views of young people from National Literacy Trust's surveys of young people themselves--with the latter forming the backbone of this paper. This brief review was prepared to inform the Commission's initial discussions and guide them in their subsequent investigation and evidence gathering. It sets out evidence for the following three main areas of the Commission's remit: (1) The scale of the problem: in what areas are boys struggling, emerging trends for the UK; (2) Why boys are falling behind: the impact of boys' attitudes towards literacy and their reading behaviours; and (3) Successful approaches: examples of how boys' literacy has been effectively supported. (Contains 8 figures and 72 footnotes.) [This paper was written with support from David Burke.]

This short document reviews research into the role of low literacy in poverty and disadvantage. It sets out evidence for the impact of parental engagement in home learning and the significance of attitudes, aspirations and literacy development. The National Literacy Trust hopes that this is a useful resource for those with responsibility for, and interest in, planning to address child poverty. Literacy skills are a vital foundation in both addressing access to employment and breaking inter-generational cycles of under-achievement. (Contains 1 table.)

It is frequently said or implicitly assumed that there is a positive relationship between enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and attainment, with pupils who enjoy reading or writing having more positive attitudes towards it, doing it more and thereby getting better at it. This paper explores to what extent this is an assumption or to what extent it is based on empirical evidence and concludes by highlighting findings from our own research. This paper includes a brief review of the literature, which uncovered a predictably complex picture, with findings that sometimes contradict each other. This picture is aggravated by a lack of common definitions, frequently confused terms, over-used buzz words and, frankly speaking, oftentimes sweeping statements that are not based on empirical evidence. Turning to our own research as a second step, we then explored the frequently neglected aspect of the interrelationships of pertinent variables. Using structural equation modelling based on a survey of 4,503 young people for whom we had attainment data as well as information on their reading enjoyment, attitudes and behaviour, we explored the validity of various possible models of relationships. Reading enjoyment emerged as a prominent variable that influences reading attainment indirectly as well as directly. The implications are discussed. (Contains 7 tables, 8 figures and 1 footnote.)

Public policy continues to grapple with the fact that the most powerful factor determining literacy levels--the home learning environment--lies outside of its control. Tickell's recent review of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum has called for the early years curriculum to be recast as a partnership curriculum jointly owned by settings and parents, allowing it to impact more powerfully on the home learning environment. Partners in Literacy--the National Literacy Trust's two year project with local authorities to raise literacy standards by improving literacy support for the most vulnerable families--has had a massive impact. The project staff are particularly proud of the difference it has made to the numbers of families accessing literacy support and on the confidence of vulnerable parents and carers in supporting their children's literacy. This report explains how it worked and provides invaluable research to drive the development of a new approach to support literacy standards which will work with the new public service context with a focus on improving the home learning environment. Three lessons sit at the heart of this report: (1) The potential of existing services can be unlocked to allow them to reach the most vulnerable families to support their literacy; (2) This is achieved through stronger local planning and marketing; and (3) The driving factor in achieving this is partnership. This report offers a route map to all who are committed to addressing the increasingly urgent issue of low literacy, through the most powerful approach of working with families in a radically new public policy context and in a changing civil society context. Appended are: (1) An overview of the pilot at a national level: set-up and national networks; (2) Evaluation framework; and (3) Networks and frameworks supporting the pilot. (Contains 13 footnotes.)

Parents are a child's first educator. A child's family and home environment has a strong impact on his/her language and literacy development and educational achievement. This impact is stronger during the child's early years but continues throughout their school years. Many background variables affect the impact of the family and home environment (such as socio-economic status, level of parental education, family size, etc.) but parental attitudes and behaviour, especially parents' involvement in home learning activities, can be crucial to children's achievement and can overcome the influences of other factors. Therefore, any policy aiming to improve literacy standards cannot be limited to formal educational settings, where children spend only a small proportion of their time. On the contrary, it needs to embrace the family as a whole and include parents as partners in their children's education from the very beginning of their children's lives. It should aim to raise parents' awareness of the difference they can make and set up systems that offer constant encouragement and support according to individual requirements and needs. This paper looks in detail at the range of research underpinning the National Literacy Trust's work with communities and local areas to embed a strategic approach to literacy. (Contains 6 figures and 9 footnotes.) [This work was written by Angelica Bonci in 2008, revised by Emily Mottram and Emily McCoy in June 2010, and revised by Jennifer Cole in March 2011.]

The authors' research has consistently highlighted the link between reading for pleasure and reading attainment. Worryingly, they have found that the number of children and young people who say that they own a book seems to be rapidly decreasing. In 2005, 1 in 10 of the children and young people they surveyed said they did not have a book of their own at home; while in 2011 the figure stands at a startling 1 child in 3. With one in six people in the UK having the literacy level expected of an eleven year old, this is of great concern. In this new report the authors explore children's reading in 2011 with findings from their first annual survey of literacy in the UK. It examines children's ownership of books, access to reading materials, frequency of reading and attitudes to reading. They also consider how these factors could all affect children and young people's reading abilities. Background information on the omnibus survey is appended. (Contains 6 tables.)

This document analyses and evaluates the findings of the second pilot year of the National Literacy Trust's speaking and listening project, Words for Work. This year's project worked with 219 year 9 pupils across England, and engaged 91 volunteers from the business community to facilitate group work that encouraged pupils to investigate their own communication skills whilst developing communication skills for future employment. The National Literacy Trust views speaking and listening as vital components of literacy. Appended are: (1) Main findings from initial research with schools, October 2009; (2) Initial task timeline for second pilot year schools; (3) Words for Work Case study questions; (4) Evaluation collection summary; (5) Factors affecting evaluation collection and analysis; (6) Individual schools' set-up and delivery performance; (7) Observation visits reports; (8) Schools contact monitoring; (9) Functional skills assessment sheet; and (10) Word Clouds. (Contains 10 figures.)

There were 18,141 young people aged eight to 17 who participated in this online survey in November and December 2010. While the survey focuses on young people's attitudes towards reading, writing and communication skills as well as technology use, this report centers exclusively on the writing aspect of the survey. More specifically, it explores how much young people enjoy writing, how good a writer they think they are, what they think makes a good writer, what types of genre they write and what they think about writing. (Contains 14 tables and 6 figures.)

Earlier this year Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, announced that British children were not reading enough and should, he believed, reading 50 books a year. This idea had come from a charter school he had visited in the US and was met with some degree of scepticism by authors and professionals who questioned whether a focus on quantity rather than engagement with books, especially at a time when libraries were being closed across the country, was the best approach to take. Putting aside the politics of this proposition, what is the evidence that reading four books a month instead of say one or ten has an impact on reading attainment and other reading variables? It is the purpose of this short paper to explore the relationship between the number of books young people read in a month and other reading variables, such as reading enjoyment, attitudes towards reading, reading frequency and reading length as well as reading attainment. Data to explore these relationships come from a survey of over 18,000 8 to 17-year-olds that the authors conducted in November/December 2010. Background information on the Omnibus survey is appended. (Contains 10 tables and 1 figure.)

The RTG (Reading The Game) consultation of partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders was carried out to: (1) conduct a needs analysis; (2) identify priority areas for development; and (3) discover any barriers regarding sports-related literacy issues. The aim was to develop a strategy of how RTG could help target areas of need, fulfil priorities and overcome barriers. The information collected is being used to inform the future shape, development and delivery of RTG projects and resources. Appended are: (1) example of questionnaire; and (2) Does it work? The impact of sport on educational outcomes in general and literacy in particular. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This is a summary of research findings from a piece of qualitative research conducted between May and July 2010 for the National Literacy Trust to inform the Talk To Your Baby campaign. The objectives of the research were to identify motivating messages to encourage parents to communicate with their children under three, and to understand key ways of delivering information to them. The research comprised ten mini focus groups, depth interviews with 18 respondents and follow up telephone interviews. [This report was prepared for The National Literacy Trust by Solutions and funded by the Department for Education's Children, Young People and Families Grant Programme.]