National Campaign Launch - Read On. Get On.

Date: 17th November 2014
Category:

On 17th November 2014, organisations including Save the Children, Scottish Book Trust and Scottish Business in the Community launched a national mission to get every child reading well by age 11.

Children living in poverty are less likely to be able to read well at school than their classmates. 1 in 5 children from poor families in Scotland leaves primary school unable to read well, a level four times as high as that of pupils from better off households.

This is despite the best efforts of government, teachers and families across the country. Not reading well can cut short children's chances in life and make Scotland less fair and less prosperous. Until we succeed in giving every child the basic skill of reading, thousands of children will continue to have limited opportunities to learn and succeed. And, it will make it harder for Scotland to close wider inequalities in education.

Reading well is a skill that unlocks opportunities for children at school and in life. It is essential to support children to escape poverty.

That is why a national mission has been launched to ensure all children are reading well at 11. By coming together - parents, teachers, government, business and communities to commit to this goal - we can make this happen.

The national mission points to key areas where further action is needed to meet this goal - celebrating the joy of reading; supporting early language development; providing the right support to help children learn to read well at school and in homes, and supporting families to help their children's reading.

A new report sets out the issue and makes the case for a concerted effort from all corners of society to address this reading gap.

Download the report here.

The national mission is calling on all politicians to play their part by supporting the goal and for all parties to commit to meeting the goal.

You can support the campaign and help to promote it by:
- Reading and sharing the above campaign report with your colleagues
- Sharing the campaign messages on twitter, facebook and other social media using #ReadOnGetOn