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Welcome
This September we announce the release of the School Library Commission report, interview Estelle Morris and launch our latest football-themed literacy resources.
NLT Viewpoint
In this month’s viewpoint, Director Jonathan Douglas looks at the debate around cuts to public library services and argues for the vital role that libraries play in raising literacy levels.
Read more
Please feel free to post comments on any of our blogs, we are always glad to have your feedback.
Policy piece: Literacy in the Spending Review
We look at the vital importance of literacy if the Coalition Government is going to achieve its stated agenda.
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News |
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visits our project to celebrate International Literacy Day
In recognition of International Literacy Day, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visited one of our projects in Wiltshire where she read an extract from Hairy Maclary to a group of young children. Her Royal Highness took part in the Rhymetime session at Trowbridge Library. The purpose of the visit was to show to Her Royal Highness our work with Wiltshire Council to help families improve their literacy skills. Read more about the day
and our work with local authorities.
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School Libraries: A plan for improvement
Published today the School Library Commission’s report, School Libraries: A plan for improvement
finds that while school libraries have a unique role in raising pupils’ literacy levels and promoting reading for pleasure, in many schools the library is a wasted resource because it is poorly embedded in the infrastructure of the school and absent from school development plans.The Commission was chaired by Baroness Estelle Morris and jointly established by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the National Literacy Trust. Read more
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Family reading project launches nationwide this autumn
This September, following successful pilots in Southampton, we are beginning the national roll-out of our new National Young Readers’ Programme for Families. Thanks to the support of the WHSmith Trust, this programme will reach more than 200 children and their families across the UK by July 2011. Run with schools, children’s centres and the public library service, weekly sessions are designed to encourage parents to support their children’s reading through discussions, activities and external trips to the library and their local WHSmith. Please email us to find out more.
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Introducing our new Trustees
We are pleased to announce the appointment of five new Trustees to our board. They will be James Tebbs, our new treasurer, Jane Reed, Naomi Eisenstadt, Honor Wilson-Fletcher and Peter Kellner.
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Other news in brief
Kent County Council to cut dedicated school library service
The future of school libraries has once again been called into question after England’s largest local authority axed its service for tens of thousands of pupils.
Study finds that girls think they are cleverer than boys from age four
Girls think they are cleverer, more successful and harder working than boys from as young as four, a study has found.
Assessments reveal 100,000 seven-year-olds are failing to master the basics of writing
Figures from the Department for Education show that tens of thousands of seven-year-olds are still struggling to master the basics in literacy.
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Resources, events and inspiration |
Baroness Estelle Morris is the chair of the School Libraries Commission. Baroness Morris began her career as a teacher and has held a number of positions in government including Secretary of State for Education and Skills (2001/02). In her interview she tells us more about the Commission’s report on school libraries and their impact on literacy.
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By helping us to build a clearer picture of literacy in the UK, you can also find out more about what your pupils think of reading, writing, speaking and listening. For the first time in the UK we are undertaking research that looks into all aspects of literacy. In return for you and your pupils completing an online survey, we will provide you with a school specific report. Read more
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Reading for Life
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new “Reading for Life” website. Reading for Life is our campaign that focuses on those that are least likely to read. These people are more likely to come from poorer communities and the objective of the campaign is to engage them in reading and other literacy activities. The new website has great resources for them, tips and advice, free downloads, competitions and games. Visit www.readingforlife.org.uk to see for yourself.
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We have teamed up again with Tom Palmer, author of the Foul Play football series, to develop free literacy resources to celebrate the start of the new football season. Tom will be reading the first paragraph of an exciting football mystery tale via a video message on our website to launch a new story writing competition, open to all schools. The
new resources will be live from 15 September.
Did you download our original football World Cup toolkit? If so, we would like to hear what you thought of it. Add your stories and feedback on this month's Wikireadia article. Create an account or log in at www.wikireadia.org.uk
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Your chance to see the Minister for Schools and have your say on literacy policy
Would you like the chance to debate the future of literacy in the UK with Nick Gibb, Minister for Schools? We are holding fringe events at each of the three political party conferences this autumn, which will feature speakers including Nick Gibb; Lord Knight, former Minister for Schools; and Lyn Brown MP. We are inviting you to join us at these free events. Visit our website for more information about the Liberal Democrat
, Labour and Conservative events.
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Last few places at conferences – book now!
We still have a few places left on our Talk To Your Baby “Smile, Talk and Listen” conference for early years professionals on Monday 18 October and our “Talk for Writing” conferences in Birmingham and York on 24 and 25 November. For more details visit the events section of our website.
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Get literacy news, resources and research selected to match your needs
We publish hundreds of literacy resources, blogs and news and research articles on our website every year. You can now register for free to see the latest articles that are particularly relevant to your sector and role. You can also use your profile to select favourite pages for easy access. Registering takes less than five minutes and we will not share your personal details with any third parties. Register now
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Success story |
Inspiring a love of reading
We work with children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them them to acquire the skills they need to develop as a reader, from knowing how to choose a book that engages them, to where they can find books once the project is over. Below is just one example of the impact we have had:
“A little Polish boy had never visited the library and told me he didn't own any books. He took great delight in selecting a book on each visit. I also made a certificate for each child and this little boy was so happy with his three books and his certificate. The family have now joined the library as a result of his visit and he comes regularly to borrow books.”
Library coordinator, Northern Ireland
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Support our work |
Are you an eBay user?
You can now choose your favourite charity when buying and selling on eBay… pick us! "My Favourite Charity" allows eBay users to register their favourite charity in their account details. The charities with the highest number of registrations will earn a share of a £10,000 prize fund. Choosing the National Literacy Trust means we will be able to continue our work to support those who struggle with literacy and literacy professionals. For more information
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We are pleased to announce Build-A-Bear Workshop®, the interactive entertainment retailer of customised stuffed animals, as our supporter. From 1 October 2010 to 31 December 2011, customers at Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores in the UK can support us by purchasing a Turner Owl™ plush owl, for £15, which generates a donation of £1 to the National Literacy Trust. We are also receiving proceeds from the sale of purple satin hearts that customers can add to their bear, and a portion of the proceeds from the purchase of each Bearville Outfitters® Virtual Stuff Game Card until 31 December 2010. See www.buildabearville.com
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