Love to Read Phase 2: A large-scale evaluation

This project will investigate the effectiveness of the Love to Read programme in increasing reading motivation, engagement, volitional reading, and reading attitudes among primary school children aged 8-11 in England. 

Why is this important?

UK children’s reading enjoyment and volitional reading are at their lowest levels since 2005, with only 29% of children in the UK reporting they enjoy reading compared to 42% internationally. Only 32.8% of UK children aged 8-11 report reading daily outside class. There are significant academic, social, and emotional benefits associated with book reading, including enhanced empathy and better well-being.  

Despite the UK government’s focus on fostering reading for pleasure within the Plan for Change (2025) and within the English national curriculum, there is a lack of robustly evaluated, evidence-based resources to support teachers in implementing effective reading motivation programmes.  

What does it involve?

This project will address this gap by evaluating the Love to Read programme, which integrates research-based principles to enhance reading motivation and engagement in schools. 

The research team aim to:   

• Refine the Love to Read programme and resources for optimal delivery at scale, ensuring sustainability beyond project completion.   

• Conduct a Randomised Controlled Trial in 96 classrooms across 20 schools to evaluate the programme’s effectiveness in improving children’s reading motivation, engagement, volitional reading, and attitudes.   

• Identify the factors – such as implementation fidelity, school, teacher, class, or pupil characteristics – that mediate the programme’s effectiveness.   

The programme will be delivered over 12 weeks to participating classrooms. Teachers will be provided with four hours of online training and four hours of independent learning over three weeks, alongside optional drop-in sessions during implementation. Measures of reading motivation, engagement, volitional reading, and attitudes will be collected at three time points using validated tools.     

How will it make a difference?

Findings will be shared with key stakeholders, including the Department for Education, Education Scotland, National Literacy Trust, World Book Day, Scottish Book Trust, BookTrust, Education Endowment Foundation, and regional literacy hubs. The project aims to inform policy and practice by embedding Love to Read principles in UK education systems, improving children’s reading engagement and motivation.