Children are losing their love of reading – but we know how to bring it back

Lucky me – my mum gave me a kind of magic by reading to me when I was tiny. As I got older, books were where I escaped, explored and discovered who I might become.

Reading was never something I was told would be “good for me”. It was just something I wanted to do. That simple joy is what too many children today have lost.

The evidence is stark. Children’s reading for pleasure in the UK is now at its lowest level in twenty years, according to the National Literacy Trust. Fewer children enjoy reading, and the decline is steepest for children growing up in the most disadvantaged communities. This is not just a cultural concern but a national one, because reading for pleasure is closely linked to attainment and social mobility. In the wider debates about screen time and mental health, reading because you enjoy it might mean happier children, too.

Yet much of the debate around literacy still focuses on testing and standards. Assessment has its place, but you cannot test a child into loving reading.

At Bloomsbury, we’ve spent the last three years working alongside six schools and the National Literacy Trust in Hastings, one of the most deprived areas in England. Together, we designed the LitUp programme not to raise scores, but to build confidence, choice and enjoyment.

Working together, we have made a difference. Seven in ten children say the LitUp programme made them want to read more. Nearly half of those who weren’t reading daily now read more often. Teachers tell us attitudes have shifted and that children now see themselves as readers. They also report that despite our focus on pleasure over attainment, the boost in reading has brought academic scores up alongside.

It wasn’t a single intervention that made a difference. It was time dedicated to reading for pleasure, access given to new books, Bloomsbury authors visiting schools termly, families being supported to read with their children and sustained training delivered to teachers. Most of all, it was treating reading as something joyful, social and personal, rather than another academic hurdle to clear.

There are no overnight fixes – in September we enter year five of our LitUp work in Hastings. What LitUp teaches us is that sustained, dedicated work at a local level is needed to reignite a nation’s love of reading. Last year I joined colleagues across publishing, libraries and education in calling on government to create a national plan to boost reading for pleasure. The resulting National Year of Reading has put this back on the agenda. But we need a long-term commitment to deliver change for today’s kids that will last a lifetime.

We must make space in all schools for reading that children choose for themselves. We can’t treat enjoyment as an optional extra. We must help children unlock their own love of reading. The good news is that we know how to do it and that the work in Hastings offers a blueprint.

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Rebecca McNally is Publishing Director and Editor‑in‑Chief at Bloomsbury Children’s.

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