Beyond the page: Why the ‘National Year of Reading’ must prioritise disadvantaged pupils
This year, the Education Secretary and the National Literacy Trust launched the ‘National Year of Reading’ campaign, aimed at tackling the worrying decline in reading for pleasure, which has dropped to its lowest level in over 20 years. In 2025 just 25% of boys and 39% of girls, aged 8-18, say they enjoy reading in their spare time.
While the campaign aims to get the whole nation reading, we must be explicit about who stands to gain the most. Research strongly suggests that reading for pleasure is one of the most powerful tools we have to dismantle educational inequality. But for the children we support, those facing disadvantage, the barriers to picking up a book are higher than ever.
The ‘silver bullet’ for social mobility
It is a striking statistic: reading enjoyment is a stronger predictor of a child’s educational success than their family’s income. When a child reads for pleasure, they aren’t just passing time; they are building the cognitive foundations for life. According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), fostering this habit is a critical lever for social mobility. The potential impact is staggering – modelling suggests that if every child in the UK read daily, we could boost the economy by £4.6 billion annually.
Yet, for many disadvantaged pupils, “reading” has become synonymous with “stress” or “testing,” rather than discovery.
Breaking the barriers
If we want the ‘National Year of Reading’ to be a success, we must address the ‘Book Poverty’ currently impacting disadvantaged families:
- Resource gaps: Over 1 in 10 disadvantaged children do not own a single book. With the cost-of-living crisis, books have become a luxury many families simply cannot afford.
- The library lottery: Primary schools in deprived areas are significantly less likely to have dedicated library spaces, and community libraries continue to face closures.
- Lack of agency: Pupils often don’t have a choice over the texts they read and they’re often not aligned to their interests. Without autonomy and choice, reading feels like a chore rather than an escape.
Reading is often viewed as a task rather than a leisure activity. When we over-emphasise mechanics at the expense of magic, we lose the very pupils who need that spark the most.
Sparking the joy
At Action Tutoring, our approach avoids high-pressure ‘round-robin’ reading, which can induce anxiety. Instead, we focus on:
- Tutor modelling: Tutors read aloud first, demonstrating fluency and expression. This reduces the ‘cognitive load’ for the pupil, allowing them to focus on the plot and characters rather than just decoding words.
- Low-stakes engagement: Techniques like ‘echo reading’ and ‘paired reading’ create a safe space where mistakes don’t feel like failures.
- Building connection: By using diverse, relevant extracts – from Wolf Wilder to modern stories – we help pupils find themselves in the pages.
One of our Year 6 pupils recently shared that she challenged herself to read 100 pages in a single day, inspired by a text we shared in a session. That isn’t just academic progress; it’s a life changed.
A call to action
As national attention turns toward literacy this year, disadvantaged pupils cannot be an afterthought. Targeting resources, funding, and programme design toward these children is not just a matter of equity – it is the most effective use of public investment.
If we truly want to close the attainment gap, we must place those facing the greatest barriers at the heart of the ‘National Year of Reading’. Only then can we ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has the chance to get lost in a new adventure.
Some inspiring charities who are doing great work to support pupils facing disadvantage with their reading include:
Visit their sites to find out more.
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