‘Going All In’ for the National Year of Reading

2026 is officially the National Year of Reading. With UK statistics showing that reading levels are at an all time low, the Department for Education are seeking to inspire a generation to find the enjoyment of reading once more. In the UK currently only 1 in 3 children aged 8-18yrs reported enjoying reading in their free time with only 1 in 5 reading daily. Evidence suggests that the impact of this decline affects cognitive development, language and critical thinking skills among other things.

At St David’s Prep we want to help rectify this which is why we are joining the ‘Go All In’ campaign. The campaign is designed to help find the joy in the art of reading again, not just for children but for everyone. The tag line is ‘If you’re in to it, read in to it’ encouraging reading for fun and pleasure rather than obligation or duty. We want to encourage the children to read about things they love, in ways that are enjoyable to them and our aim is to encourage reading for pleasure every day, not just in school but at home too.

The Department for Education want this to be a cultural shift, not just a gimmick. So how can you help?

Limit distractions and carve out time to read together out loud, every day.

Become a member of your local library and make visits there a regular activity.

Take part in things like the Summer Reading Challenge and National Reading Week (2nd – 8th February)

Share stories with your family, take part in creative writing activities or simply learn some lyrics together from your favourite songs.

Whatever you decide to do – have fun with it!