About Us
Reading for pleasure
EVERYBODY ENGAGEDThe North Lincolnshire Children’s Literacy Trust is a local charity that supports innovative literacy solutions with evidence-based impact to ensure all children in North Lincolnshire have the opportunity to read and succeed.
We serve Children and young people in North Lincolnshire communities. We target our work where we can have the greatest impact using a range of criteria, including literacy vulnerability data, school attainment data at KS2 and GCSE, FSM and deprivation data.
Our Vision
Our vision is that every child in North Lincolnshire should reach their potential by becoming confident and enthusiastic readers as well as acquiring the essential literacy skills they need to lead successful lives
Making the Case
The evidence connecting low literacy to social and economic inequality is compelling: adults with functional literacy earn 16% more than those without. The implications are stark: children in the UK who fail to learn to read are more economically vulnerable than their counterparts internationally. They have fewer opportunities open to them when they leave school, reinforcing the cycle of disadvantage and preventing social mobility.
We know that low literacy undermines our economic competitiveness and sustainability and creates obstacles to a fairer society. Research for the National Literacy Trust’s Read On. Get On. Strategy estimated that if every child left primary school with the reading skills they need, the British economy could be more than £30 billion bigger by 2025.
As well as negatively impacting our economy, low literacy creates barriers to social mobility. Adults in the UK’s most deprived wards up to 35% of the adult population lack the literacy skills expected of an 11-year-old. These adults lack the confidence and skills to help their children with reading and writing and struggle to help them gain the skills they need for future success.
The inequalities also have a wider social impact. 37% of people who rate their health as “very poor” are functionally illiterate, as opposed to 11% who have these skills. 48% of offenders in custody have the reading age at or below that of an 11 year old.
The inequalities extend beyond economic impact: 48% of offenders in custody have reading skills at or below the level expected of an 11-year-old. Many of these inequalities could be prevented by addressing early literacy failure.
Reading engagement and reading for pleasure lead to a range of social, personal, and intellectual outcomes. These include enjoyment, social and cultural capital, social interaction, knowledge, creativity, empathy, self-expression and understanding of self and others. They also lead to health and wellbeing outcomes such as mental health, physical health and relaxation. 37% of people who rate their health as “very poor” are functionally illiterate, compared with 11% who have these skills.
