The Equalise Learning theme submitted written evidence to the Education Committee Inquiry on Reading for Pleasure on 7th January 2026.
Executive summary
- Daily reading in early childhood is linked to better socioemotional wellbeing, verbal ability, school readiness (age 3), and non-verbal/spatial skills (age 5). Increasing reading frequency (e.g., from never/weekly to daily) significantly reduces behavioural difficulties scores by age 5.
- At age 11, those who read for pleasure or were read to earlier in childhood have higher verbal abilities and lower socioemotional difficulties scores.
- The home environment strongly influences reading habits: factors include family income, housing quality, parental employment, mental health, and literacy/numeracy skills. Support for parents should address both proximal factors (skills, mental health) and structural factors (housing, employment) to foster reading for pleasure.
- Reading in early years is associated with positive verbal development trajectories over the first 11 years; lack of early reading correlates with downward trajectories.
- Reading for pleasure at age 11 is linked to higher verbal scores, helping to narrow the attainment gap over time.
The response was prepared by the Equalise Learning theme with contributions from:
- Professor Yvonne Kelly, Professor of Lifecourse Epidemiology
- John Kelly, Research Assistant
- Audrey Tan, Impact Manager
We would be pleased to speak further about our response. Please contact Yvonne Kelly (y.kelly@ucl.ac.uk).