National Literacy Trust

Reading something you enjoy can help you relax and boost your mood. That’s why we are inviting your organisation to take part in our #Take10ToRead campaign this #WorldMentalHealthDay. Try reading for 10 minutes, at 10am on Thursday 10 October and see where it takes you. As part of our three-year strategy, we are working towards the mission of every young person, wherever they grow up, leaving school with literacy skills for life. Children who see adults reading at home are more likely to enjoy reading themselves. By promoting our campaign and the benefits of reading for pleasure, you are supporting our goal to empower children with these vital literacy skills. We have over 100 organisations on board to take part already, do you want to join in? For more information on Take 10 or to pledge your support, head over to: https://lnkd.in/enPmd5tN

From now on, our annual, flagship early years conference will be the Early Words Matter conference. The conference will still focus on the importance of early language acquisition in the first 1,001 days. However, this year, in the new political climate, we will also take the opportunity to explore the long-term economic and moral imperative for a place-based, cross-sector investment in early years. Read more about the rebrand 👇

Books have the power to create belonging 📚   They help us to see and understand each other – which is why it’s vital that the books we read at school reflect the rich diversity of the society we live in.   Since our 2021 report, we’ve launched the Lit in Colour Pioneers Pilot report with exam board Pearson, Runnymede Trust, and Department of Education, University of Oxford, which reveals that teaching texts by writers of colour has a positive impact on students 🧡   Now, 10% of students who take Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature study a text by an author of colour. This is *100 times* more students than before the Lit in Colour Pioneers Pilot Programme! ✨   Find out more about the impact Lit in Colour is having >> https://lnkd.in/eaH-H5Yj

It’s time…#WorldBookDay 2025 is beginning! Here’s our amazing line-up of £1/€1.50 books coming on 13 February, which children will be able to choose from for FREE with a £1/€1.50 token.

As the new school year begins, it's the perfect time to put reading and writing for enjoyment at the heart of your classroom. Our premium back-to-school transition resources include a suggested class reader along with book chat prompts and activities inspired by the books. Explore the resources and ready-made lesson plans with your National Literacy Trust membership here: https://lnkd.in/eB3ek9Ue

Our research shows that AI use among young people has doubled over the last year, but only 3 in 10 teachers are using it to support their role and 2 in 5 have concerns about AI. Irene Picton, our Senior Research Manager, talks about the latest findings in this exclusive. ⤵

Last week the government announced that it will create a £3million content store to train AI to be more reliable to help teachers mark work and plan lessons.    The announcement has reignited debates around AI's potential benefits to schools verses fears about its potential misuse. Our own research, published earlier this year, shows that a third of teachers worry about the impact of AI on students' literacy. However, there is potential to reduce teacher workloads and assist with routine school administrative tasks.   Although AI use has doubled in one year among pupils, less than 5% of teachers told us that they use it for marking assessments, and only 1 in 10 teachers say their school has an AI policy.   Read more about AI in education - including perspectives from teachers and the best AI tools - in our recent blog ⤵ https://lnkd.in/ecJzqVa4

Our Inclusive Libraries Conference is happening next week! We still have spaces available for the Leeds conference on Wednesday 4 September. Places are fully funded so it's completely free to attend! Perfect for librarians or colleagues who work in primary and secondary school libraries. More details below ⤵

In England in 2023, 1 in 5 (21%) children did not meet the expected standard in phonics by the end of year 1. For pupils like Abel, learning letter sounds can be challenging and affect their confidence with reading. When Abel’s teacher heard about Footy Phonics, he thought a different environment and way of approaching letter sounds and reading skills might help to support Abel. Delivered by The Albion Foundation as part of The Premier League Primary Stars programme and developed in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, Footy Phonics is an active literacy intervention to support the reinforcement of phonics skills and knowledge. The free resources offers simple, football-related activities to encourage five-to-seven-year-olds to explore the letters and the sounds they have learned about in class. Through active movement and football-themed activities and resources, Footy Phonics has engaged and inspired Abel and his classmates to become enthusiastic about phonics learning. Staff from both The Albion Foundation and Abel’s school have watched his confidence grow and his skills improve.  “You can actually see the difference that this has made to [Abel's] learning in school, as well as outside of school.” To find out more about Footy Phonics, visit Premier League Primary Stars: https://lnkd.in/e52MkEyn  

When trends make it to LinkedIn we've just got to join in. 🤭