UK inquiry calls for National Year of Reading to be extended to a decade

A UK education committee inquiry into reading for pleasure has concluded that the National Year of Reading should be extended to a National Decade of Reading. The committee also argues that the government should commit to a National Reading Guarantee ensuring all children have regular opportunities to enjoy reading.

The Reading for Pleasure inquiry was launched last November in response to a sharp decline in the number of children reading for pleasure. National Literacy Trust CEO Jonathan Douglas told the committee that this year's National Year of Reading should be "turned into a decade of reading to sustain the foundations that are being laid," according to the inquiry report published Friday. Extending the initiative would make reading for pleasure a long-term priority and could be used to embed it into all areas of education, the report says.

A National Reading Guarantee would ensure all children, regardless of background, have frequent opportunities to enjoy books, stories and shared reading experiences from birth to 18 as part of everyday life. Although the guarantee should adopt a broad definition of reading, it says children should be encouraged to engage with traditional books, recognising their particular benefits. For instance, Jo Taylor, an associate professor at UCL, told the inquiry that language complexity in graphic novels is not the same as in traditional novels.

The cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP Helen Hayes, calls on the Department for Education to extend its pledge to deliver a library in every primary school to secondary schools. It also says the government should restore public library funding lost since 2010 and supports calls to automatically issue library cards at birth.

The rise of screen use is a "major factor" reducing time children spend reading for pleasure, according to the report. Author and teacher Onyinye Iwu told the inquiry that when she asked students why they don't read, many said: "Miss, but we have TikTok. What is the point?" However, the report states that "England is lagging so far behind the international average that we cannot place the blame solely on screens." The cost of living, modern work patterns, lack of library access and competing curriculum demands are also significant factors.

The inquiry concluded that the fall in reading for pleasure is "not inevitable" but a consequence of policy choices, fragmented systems and unequal access. Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected, said the committee has issued a "clear call to action" and urged the incoming Burnham government to make reading for pleasure part of its wider mission to spread opportunity and improve life chances.