National Literacy Trust declares 'literacy crisis' as it launches Early Years Matter campaign

Research from the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has found that a lack of government support is leading to “a literacy crisis” in children. The research comes alongside a new campaign from the NLT, Early Words Matter.

The charity has called on public, private and social sectors to collaborate and drive “change for our most vulnerable children, as cross-society failure to support early years communication and language development is leading to a literacy crisis for children as young as five”. 

The new research by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) was commissioned by KPMG UK in collaboration with the NLT. It estimates that around 106,000 five-year-olds in England in a single year group did not meet the expected level of literacy, but could reasonably have achieved the expected standard if provided with the right support early on. 

The PBE report found that insufficient literacy skills support early on will generate economic costs of around £830m over the lifetimes of each year group of under-fives, or £7,800 per child on average. 

These costs are expected to increase without action, as the number of children impacted is likely to have grown in recent years. A greater number of families have been unable to access the right early years support in the wake of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.  

In certain areas of greater levels of deprivation, economic costs were found to be particularly high with two-fifths (43,000) of children not meeting the expected level of literacy. In Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, more than a quarter of children under five have low levels of literacy. 

“Families experiencing poverty work hard to get what is best for their children, but are less likely to have the resources, information and confidence to create the stimulating and engaging environment needed to develop crucial early communication, language and literacy skills,” the NLT said.  

The NLT’s new five-year campaign, Early Words Matter, offers early support to 250,000 children in the most disadvantaged areas of the country, while also raising awareness of the role the early years play in social mobility.  

The Early Words Matter campaign calls on the government and business community to collaborate on better early years support for families from disadvantaged communities and is endorsed by members of the NLT’s national Business Council featuring senior leaders from KPMG, Greggs and W H Smith among others.

Matt Whittaker, c.e.o. of Pro Bono Economics, said: “That so many young children are reaching Reception so far behind in basic reading and communication skills should raise alarm bells everywhere. Many of the costs of the cross-society failure on early literacy are borne by children from the most deprived areas of our country, reinforcing inequalities for the next generation.”  

Jonathan Douglas, c.e.o. of the National Literacy Trust, said that the research “confirms the dire need for immediate intervention”. He added: “We know that experiencing poverty has a huge effect on a child’s early communication, language and literacy skills, and that this will have consequences for their learning, their confidence, their wellbeing, and their ability to thrive for the rest of their lives.

“That’s why we are urgently calling on both the government and the business community to commit to supporting our campaign to reach 250,000 young children in the next five years with flagship programmes and local community outreach in areas worst hit by poverty and the cost-of-living crisis.”