Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures she will use to evaluate the effect of the National Year of Reading 2026 on closing the gender attainment gap.

Reading for pleasure brings a range of benefits, including strong links with attainment. However, research by the National Literacy Trust shows that in 2025, just one in three children aged 8 to 18 reported enjoying reading, with teenage boys regularly reporting the lowest levels of reading enjoyment.

That is why the department is launching the National Year of Reading, a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults

Grounded in existing evidence and new research by an external research agency, the campaign is designed to deliver meaningful impact during 2026 and beyond.

The impact of the National Year of Reading will be measured through an independent external evaluation. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences: teenage boys, early years children, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change. The findings will be published in 2027.