Adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction
Reading Ahead
What is Reading Ahead?
Reading Ahead builds reading confidence, skills and encourages everyone to read more. Run in prisons, public libraries, colleges, adult community learning settings and workplaces, Reading Ahead engages participants in the joy of reading, often for the first time, which in turn helps them to improve their language and literacy skills.
Participants choose six reads: books, magazines, recipes, letters – anything! After completing each read, they share their thoughts on what they’ve read by filling out a review in their personal Reading Ahead Reading Diary and work towards receiving a certificate of achievement. Readers can use our reading database to search for material at the right reading level and coordinators can access a hub of supporting guidance, learning resources and promotional materials on our Resources database.
Who is it for?
Reading Ahead is aimed at young people and adults who are less confident readers and those who want to improve their literacy and language skills or get back into reading. It is run in prisons, public libraries, colleges, adult community learning centres and workplaces across the UK.
For more information on how to take part, the programme resources, costs and incentives, please click the below link to ‘get involved’.
Our Research
11,275 young people and adults were reached through Reading Ahead in 2021/22.
Reading for pleasure enhances empathy and the ability to understand others’ identities
Resources
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr - discussion guide
*Discover the uplifting and completely heartwarming debut novel from Samuel Burr,_The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers_.* Click download to get a copy of the discussion guide. h2.…
A Tale of Two Nations: Reading habits among British adults reports
Since our ground-breaking "State of the Nation’s Adult Reading":https://readingagency.org.uk/adult-reading-research-report-2024 attitudes series of reports last year, there has been a renewed interest in better understanding adult…
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Book Club Hub - Book Club User Guide
"The Book Club Hub":https://bit.ly/41CqjBl is a platform connecting readers and book clubs of all ages across the UK. It is managed by national reading charity,…
Book Club Hub - Librarian and Teacher User Guide
"The Book Club Hub":https://bit.ly/41CqjBl is a platform connecting readers and book clubs of all ages across the UK. It is managed by national reading charity,…
Latest News
Survey of Adult Skills: What Next?
Our vision is for a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life. We know that too…
The State of the Nation’s Adult Reading: 2024 Report
Half of all adults in the UK don’t read regularly, and 1 in 6 – that’s 8.5 million – struggles…
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