To illustrate the extent of the literacy problem in the UK:
- In 2023, 27% of 11 year olds left primary school in England not meeting the expected reading standard, according to the Department for Education
- After Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures, the gap in attainment between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers has widened further, suggesting that the disruption to learning had a more significant impact on disadvantaged children
The longer-term consequences of this are hugely damaging for both the child and for society more widely:
- Teenagers without basic literacy skills are significantly more likely to be excluded from school, commit crime, and to spend time in prison
- In 2023, the Ministry of Justice released statistics on the UK prison population, stating that 65% of prisoners had literacy skills no higher than those expected of an 11-year-old. Annually, it costs more than £40,000 to incarcerate each individual
- In 2021, it was estimated that seven million people (16.6% of working age adults) in the UK have "very poor" literacy skills
- In addition to the financial and social costs of crime and time in prison, the economic cost of poor literacy has been estimated to be £81 billion per year to the UK economy
- Poor literacy can lead to limited job prospects, poor health, low self-esteem, and even reduced life expectancy
- Adults with poor literacy skills will be locked out of the job market and, as a parent, they won't be able to support their child's learning
- Teaching children to read can be done relatively inexpensively and is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce young offending and crime, as it raises their potential and the opportunities available to them