Every child in England should be issued with a library card from birth and have the opportunity to enjoy books at school, to stem a dramatic fall in the number of young children reading for pleasure, the Education Committee recommends in a report published today.
The cross-party Education Committee has today published its report on ‘Reading for Pleasure’ after taking evidence from education experts, the publishing industry, charities and the author and previous Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce.
MPs warn that the sharp decline in children reading for pleasure is not only an educational concern but a challenge for the whole of society. The Committee’s report cites evidence that reading for pleasure makes children happier, healthier, develops their empathy and improves their attainment at school. But the number of children currently reading for pleasure is very low, with just 36% of children saying they enjoy reading and a fifth saying they read daily in their free time, according to the National Literacy Trust.
The Committee calls for the government to commit to a National Reading Guarantee, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to enjoy books, stories and shared reading experiences as part of everyday life, from birth to adulthood.
It says this Guarantee should see every child automatically enrolled in a public library when they are born, should encompass early years support and childcare, school and public libraries, working together in a comprehensive Reading for Pleasure Strategy to reverse the decline in reading among children and young people.
The Committee recommends the government funds a library in every secondary school, recognises access to school libraries as an essential part of a good education and makes them a legal requirement. MPs say ministers should introduce a school library development fund, so that schools refresh their shelves and train staff, and set an expectation for all schools to include dedicated library lessons in the school timetable.
MPs also stress that “joy must lead the way” in developing a love of reading during the critical early years. The Committee warns that the government’s current policies focus “overwhelmingly on proficiency over pleasure” and that without experiencing the fun and enjoyment of reading, or “the warmth of shared stories and the enchantment of turning pages”, children may not carry a love of reading into later life.
The Committee therefore recommends that ministers update the early years foundation stage profile and inspection framework to emphasise that reading should be focused on enjoyment. It also says the Department for Education should fund and deliver research into best practice in reading for pleasure for secondary school teachers and encourage breakfast clubs, as they are being rolled out across the country, to offer books and reading activities so that children can enjoy stories before the start of the school day.
The government could provide more support in its guidance for parents of young children, as a “quick win”, the Committee argues. MPs heard evidence that while many parents wanted to read to their children at home, they faced many barriers including pressure from work, a lack of time, and a lack of confidence. These were exacerbated for those living in poverty or facing food insecurity.
The Committee reiterated its earlier findings on the need to limit screen time for children and for adults to set a positive example for the children in their lives.
In today’s report, the Committee welcomes the government’s National Year of Reading initiative but warns that it risks becoming a one-off event without a lasting impact. It calls for the government to introduce a National Decade of Reading to ensure reading for pleasure remains a long-term priority, working with educators, authors, publishers and booksellers to design activities and establish more national moments to promote reading for pleasure throughout the year.
As part of its inquiry, the Committee held a roundtable on World Book Day with students from a primary school in East London. Some children strongly supported reading with friends and discussing books, while others preferred playing or felt that their friends were not interested in reading.
MPs heard concerns that the secondary English curriculum, described by one witness as “dispiritingly dull”, actually held children back from developing a love of reading, and that its lack of diversity left children disengaged. The Committee finds that the Curriculum and Assessment Review was a “missed opportunity” to create more space for pupils to develop a true enjoyment of reading.
It calls for the government to revise the GCSE English Literature to make developing a love for books and literature a core objective of the qualification. The government should also improve the diversity of texts, expanding the definition of literature from the British Isles to literature in English and extend the requirement for a 19th century novel to a longer period.
Chair of the Education Committee, Helen Hayes MP, said:
“Imagine a miracle medicine that not only improves educational outcomes for children, whatever disadvantage they carry with them, but also expands their worldview, develops their bonds of empathy with others and helps them to understand their own place in the world.
That’s what reading for pleasure offers a child. We should be extremely concerned that so few children currently say they enjoy reading or regularly pick up a book. This matters for everyone in society.
We know that children from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with additional needs are less likely to develop a love of reading. But access to literature should never be a luxury available only to the most prosperous families. We need to start taking action as early in a child’s life as possible, before disadvantage is baked in.
But we do not need to lose hope. Our report published today sets out concrete steps the government can take to put pleasure and fun back into childhood reading. A National Reading Guarantee, better library access and curriculum reform would give the children the opportunity and motivation to find books that they love.
None of this is inevitable. It’s time to write a new ending to this story and make reading for pleasure a possibility for every child.”
