Recommendation 7

The Government must commit to a National Reading Guarantee ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has frequent, regular opportunities to enjoy books, stories and shared reading experiences from birth to 18 as part of everyday life. The National Reading Guarantee should encompass early years support and childcare, school and public libraries; and it should have a particular focus on access to books for disadvantaged families and consideration of whether initiatives in this area could be expanded. Children cannot fall in love with books they have never held. The Guarantee should adopt a broad definition of reading and go beyond traditional books to include as broad a range of texts as possible, including accessible texts for children with SEND; however, it should include a strategy for encouraging children to engage with traditional books as well as other forms of texts, recognising the particular benefits that traditional books bring. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30)