Now is the time for schools to “go all in” on reading. That’s according to a joint campaign from the National Literacy Trust and Department for Education designating 2026 the National Year of Reading.

Alongside this focus comes a host of free initiatives for schools, including two training packages, and enhanced support from English Hubs.

Yet I am concerned that much of this support is passing teachers by.

The 2025-26 academic year has been one of change. The government has been busy responding to the curriculum and assessment review with its new schools White Paper, and working on the forthcoming national curriculum.

Meanwhile, Ofsted has been overhauled, a phone ban has been announced and changes have been proposed to key frameworks like Keeping Children Safe in Education.

There is, in other words, rather a lot for school leaders to think about.

Despite this, it is important that we lean into the current focus on reading - go “all in”, as the slogan says - because reading matters too much to leave it to chance.

Being able to read proficiently is crucial for all learning at school, for accessing employment and public services, and for navigating our social worlds. And, given the availability of free, accessible and evidence-informed training and resources, now is the ideal time to make reading a strategic priority.

So, what might that look like?

Teaching reading has to go beyond primary

Primary schools already work hard to ensure high-quality phonics instruction is complemented by practice that promotes fluency and comprehension, and the rich reading opportunities that create successful, independent readers.

But is teaching children to read the job of primary schools?

Well, despite excellent primary practice, 25 per cent of children do not meet the expected standard in reading at the end of primary school. This resonates with my research, which has shown that reading at the transition from primary to secondary and across secondary school is extremely variable, with high levels of need.

Importantly, reading can never simply be a primary issue. Even if we have robust approaches to identifying and supporting reading needs in primary, which by and large I think we do, this can never be enough for (at least) two reasons.

First, early-identified reading needs are often pervasive over time. Even with excellent support, they can still “show up” in secondary school.

Second, some reading needs only emerge later as the challenge of reading increases. The transition to secondary school marks a time when the reading demands of the curriculum shift dramatically.

The need for a focus on secondary reading was recognised in Education Endowment Foundation guidance in 2018, by Ofsted in 2022 and in the government’s revised 2023 reading framework.

Three free tools to boost secondary reading

Fast-forward to 2026 and the government has invested heavily in secondary reading through three current initiatives. All are freely available, easily accessible and evidence-informed.

1. Training for all secondary staff to support all students

In April 2025, the government rolled out a short (one-hour) CPD programme, which was developed by Dr Megan Dixon, Lucy Floyer and me, in collaboration with many expert secondary and reading teachers.

The training is aimed at all teachers, supporting all secondary students. There are separate packages for teachers and school leaders, with videos on research and evidence-based yet actionable classroom strategies. It is free and openly available on the gov.uk website and Department for Education YouTube channel, and more information can be found on my web pages here.

At the time of writing, the training videos have been watched more than 50,000 times, and teacher reports show that it is feasible to complete the training and implement its strategies, that the training and content are accessible, and that the training increases teachers’ knowledge and confidence.

This CPD programme was designed with the pressures of the secondary context in mind. Our priority was to keep it short yet informative, so, of course, for many schools and teachers, it doesn’t go far enough. It is simply a first step.

2. Support on secondary reading from English Hubs

Following this CPD, the government invested in a secondary English Hubs programme. In September 2025, the government’s English Hubs started piloting an expansion to secondary reading, with hubs working closely with secondary schools to build capacity, confidence and capability around reading. This work will continue from autumn 2026.

3. In-depth training for all secondary staff to support reading needs

The short CPD programme also underpinned a larger CPD package aimed at supporting students with reading needs, led by FFT Education Datalab and launched early in 2026.

This CPD is freely available to secondary schools and comprises 10 modules of content developed by FFT, my colleague Professor Kathy Rastle, from Royal Holloway, University of London, and me, with input from large networks of researchers and schools.

Modules cover the science of reading, assessment, intervention and whole-school reading strategy, as well as classroom approaches for supporting word reading, fluency and reading comprehension needs.

The training combines in-person and online delivery, and uptake has already been very high, with engagement from more than 60 per cent of all secondary schools in less than three months.

Feedback shows that 99 per cent of participants rate the training to be of very high quality. A legacy offer at a later date will ensure that schools and teachers can continue to benefit over time.

What’s next?

Training and resources are important, of course. However, as always, the core work falls to teachers. Secondary schools and teachers are currently at very different stages of the journey to improve reading.

Those looking to engage further can find excellent resources from charities like the National Literacy Trust, the Reading Agency, BookTrust and the Education Endowment Foundation, and the many wonderful teachers out there who have been working hard to promote secondary reading.

Meanwhile, the policy focus on secondary reading seems to be here to stay, with the government committing in its schools White Paper to a Year 8 test of reading fluency and comprehension, and a new secondary framework integrating guidance on the teaching of reading, writing and oracy.

And for now, the secondary offer in the National Year of Reading is strong, with adolescents not forgotten in the pledge to “go all in”.

So, while there is a long way to go to close the reading gap, there is still plenty to feel positive about.

Professor Jessie Ricketts is director of the Language and Reading Acquisition (LARA) lab at Royal Holloway, University of London