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Policy and campaigning

We campaign to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and make it a priority for politicians and business leaders.
Dad and baby early years_National Literacy Trust

Literacy gives you the power to shape your future.

If you grow up without the tools that you need to communicate effectively, it is much harder to get where you want to go in life.

As well as being the foundation of personal success, literacy is also a national imperative.

It drives economic growth and helps to promote social cohesion by reducing inequality.

We are working to keep literacy firmly on the political agenda.

Our current priorities

  • We are the secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy.

    The APPG on Literacy, which was re-launched in June 2023, is committed to building political support for literacy related issues. Find out more

  • We make evidence-based policy recommendations to drive change.

    Read our latest report which launched in October 2023: Building Firm Foundations: A Report on Early Language and Communication Policy.

  • We work with our partners on the Libraries for Primaries campaign.

    Founded in November 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Books, the Libraries for Primaries campaign is a group of organisations who work to address the chronic lack of investment in UK primary school libraries. Read more

  • Vision for Literacy Business Pledge.

    The award-winning Vision for Literacy Business Pledge provides a framework for business action to help close the literacy gap between disadvantaged young people and their more affluent peers.

Campaigning

We campaign to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and make it a priority for politicians and business leaders. Our current campaign priorities are:

Early Words Matter

A child's earliest years are crucial to their development and life chances. Our new Early Words Matter campaign will ensure every child is empowered with the words they need to write their own story.

Be part of the change
Dad and baby Early Words Matter close up

Libraries for Primaries

Our mission is to ensure that every primary school in the UK has a library or dedicated library space. We campaign for change and run programmes that create a strong reading for pleasure culture in primary schools.

Be part of the change
Libraries for Primaries logo