The department is working with other government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish devolved governments, to promote the National Year of Reading 2026. This aims to address long term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change.

Cross sector support is vital in tackling the downward trend in reading for pleasure, which is why the Year is operating as a collective impact campaign allowing multiple agencies and partners to participate, including publishers, booksellers, brands, retailers and charities.

The National Year of Reading 2026 will involve activities and events across the UK. You can find more information about the campaign in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in Wales here: https://goallin.org.uk/

The campaign aims for lasting impact. For example, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to encourage reading for pleasure. The government has also committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, which will be delivered by DCMS.

The department, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, is leading the National Year of Reading 2026 to tackle declining reading enjoyment. This UK-wide campaign combines a marketing initiative with events in schools, libraries and communities, prioritising boys aged 10 to 16, early years children and families from disadvantaged communities.

Grounded in evidence, the campaign uses the “Go All In” branding to help make reading appealing and relevant, particularly for the priority audiences. The campaign’s message, “If you’re into it, read into it”, encourages individuals to explore reading through their passions, whether music, sport, baking, family time, films, sci-fi, or anything else.

Activities will take place across the year and includes national events, alongside resources for schools and early years, and library engagement through initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. An independent evaluation in 2027 will assess its impact and sustainability beyond the campaign year and will assess its influence on reading behaviours and wider impact on the literacy sector.

The government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.

We will also build secondary schools' capacity to support students with reading needs by providing new training from January 2026. This training should reach 75% of secondary schools this academic year.

Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we will also introduce new frameworks on primary oracy and combined secondary oracy, reading and writing.

Additionally, on 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people, and adults.

The government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.

We will also build secondary schools' capacity to support students with reading needs by providing new training from January 2026. This training should reach 75% of secondary schools this academic year.

Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we will also introduce new frameworks on primary oracy and combined secondary oracy, reading and writing.

Additionally, on 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people, and adults.

High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.

Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we will revise the English curriculum to ensure that there is more emphasis on speaking, listening and drama, alongside creating a new primary oracy framework and a new combined secondary oracy, reading and writing framework to support its implementation.

The government has also committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of phonics, early language and reading for pleasure via the English Hubs programme.

We will also build secondary schools' capacity to support students with reading needs by providing new reading training from January 2026.

Additionally, on 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. More information is available at www.goallin.org.uk.

The government's Opportunity Mission aims to remove barriers and ensure every child achieves and thrives by providing the best start in life and essential skills. Reading is central to this mission and is crucial for success at school and in life, and so we welcome the Premier League’s work with the National Literacy Trust on supporting pupils’ reading through the Primary Stars literacy initiative.

On 7 July 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that 2026 will be The National Year of Reading. The National Year of Reading 2026 is a campaign to address the steep decline in reading for pleasure amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who will lead the delivery of the campaign.

The government recognises the importance of adult literacy skills. That is why the department supports participation in English through our ‘essential skills’ entitlements funded through the adult skills fund (ASF). This provides the opportunity for fully funded study up to and including level 2 for eligible adults aged 19+ who do not have essential literacy skills.

Furthermore, the department supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision, funded through the ASF, subject to the eligibility requirements laid out in the ASF and local rules on the provision of adult education.

As part of the ASF, Tailored Learning funding can also be used to support learners to improve their essential skills if they are not ready to study for a qualification or would benefit from learning in a more informal way.