#ReadingForPleasure doesn’t just improve educational outcomes. It enriches wellbeing, feeds curiosity, and opens the door to a greater range of life opportunities.

Our research and long-standing partnerships with secondary schools show just how powerful it is when children have access to a rich, diverse range of stories and ideas.

The Chancellor’s announcement of a £5 million funding boost for secondary school libraries is also much needed. Properly resourced libraries are a vital step towards nurturing a lifelong love of books in young people.

By working with Best Start Family Hubs and our network of partners across health, social care, and education, our reading programmes aim to ensure that every child experiences the lifelong, transformative benefits of shared reading.

All the evidence shows that shared reading in the early years is a powerful driver of social mobility later in life and can overcome inequalities before they deepen.

Our focus at BookTrust is to ensure that all children regardless of their circumstances have access to the benefits of reading and sharing stories from the earliest age.

Our absolute hero!

However, we also know there are barriers that prevent families from reading together. We must overcome this to ensure all children - but particularly the most vulnerable - can benefit from reading.

We are excited to share our experience and insight with the inquiry.

The relationship between reading for pleasure and children and young people's mental health and wellbeing is close to our heart at BookTrust.

We know from our work with partners and families across the country that reading brings profound and wide-ranging benefits to children, helping to overcome inequalities before they deepen and building bonds between children and families.

Thank you so much for your support Sarah!

How beautifully put! Thank you so much for your support!

Thank you so much for spreading the word, Mark!

Thank you for your support!

Thank you Lissa!