Literacy

The latest news, analysis and best practice advice when it comes to literacy, from recent research and how to implement it to new guidance and what it means

Wednesday

22nd Jul 2026

What the bestselling books for children tell primary teachers
Research shows that pupils’ enjoyment of reading declines as they move through primary school. Do the bestselling books for this age group hold any clues about how schools can help reverse the trend?
Bunny v Monkey book

Friday

17th Jul 2026

Make school libraries a legal requirement, MPs say
The government’s current focus is on ‘reading proficiency over pleasure’, a report by the Commons Education Select Committee warns
A male student peering over a stack of books in a library

Monday

6th Jul 2026

How our primary school got children to fall in love with poetry
This school has created such a buzz about poetry that younger pupils are excitedly talking about joining Poetry Club when they’re old enough. Teachers Sarah Horspole and Madeline Coe explain how they did it
Girl reading poetry

Wednesday

10th Jun 2026

How to create a better reader (hint: hard texts matter)
The curriculum review has sparked debate about which texts we should make space for in our classrooms, but how far does text choice really matter for improving reading? Tes speaks to US literacy researcher Timothy Shanahan to find out
Little girl opening giant book

Tuesday

2nd Jun 2026

The myth about Ofsted, the DfE and early writing
A myth has taken root in early years that children should avoid writing until they can form letters and spell correctly – but encouraging early writing and mark making can help with literacy, says Julian Grenier
Two small children writing

Thursday

28th May 2026

Why students’ writing often feels flat, and how to fix it
Pupils’ writing lacks personality when they are too focused on sentence structures and checklists, writes head of English Emma Snow. Here, she sets out how to address this problem
mountain of paper

Saturday

16th May 2026

Frank Cottrell-Boyce on reading and schools accelerating screen use
The outgoing children’s laureate talks about the reasons for the decline in reading for pleasure, screens stealing children’s time and the government’s plan for a new reading test
Frank Cottrell-Boyce in front of bookshelf and children's laureate sign

Thursday

14th May 2026

Why haven’t we closed the reading gap yet?
Despite national gains in reading, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds still make less progress than their peers, says Alex Quigley. So, what can be done to help?
Figure looking through gap in book

Thursday

30th Apr 2026

How to bridge the gap between primary and secondary reading
There is more freely accessible support than ever to help secondary schools boost students’ literacy, yet some of this may be passing school leaders by, writes Jessie Ricketts
Bridge made of books

Friday

17th Apr 2026

Key stage 3 alliance announces regional co-chairs
The regional co-chairs will lead schools and trusts to share good practice on what works in early secondary school
Sharing ideas illustration

Tuesday

7th Apr 2026

How we moved beyond reading for pleasure at secondary
Trust improvement lead Zoe Enser outlines practical ways to embed strong reading habits across a school, without adding a value judgement like ‘pleasure’
Whole school reading

Tuesday

24th Mar 2026

The subtitles myth: why children don’t learn to read from TV
The popular assumption that watching TV with subtitles will help children to become better readers doesn’t hold true, write two reading researchers