Let's open a new chapter in the nation's love of books

Parents are their children's first teachers. Long before a child sets foot in a classroom, it's at home that their language takes shape, their curiosity begins to grow, and their imagination starts to stretch.

- BRIDGET PHILLIPSON

For me, that imagination was sparked by books. When I was young, my grandad gave me book after book to read - from the days when he would bounce me on his knee, right up to my final year of university.

Books can be the fuel that powers children’s development, and so often, the only tool a parent needs to become a teacher. That’s why, on Monday, I announced a National Year of Reading in 2026 - a mission not just for schools and libraries, but for all of us, and part of our Plan for Change. Because if we want children to love books, we need to show them that we love books, too.

Children who read regularly do better in school, have broader vocabularies, and even experience improved mental health and wellbeing. And yet, in recent years, the number of children reading for pleasure has fallen. In fact, only one in three children say they enjoy reading.

It’s a decline that rings alarm bells loud and clear - and it’s on every one of us to help turn it around: government, schools and parents alike. And as both the secretary of state for education and a parent of two young children, I know I have the responsibility to lead by example.