Comment: Pan Macmillan welcomes parliamentary report on Reading for Pleasure, backing call for a ‘National Decade of Reading’
Pan Macmillan today welcomes the publication of the House of Commons Education Committee’s Second Report of Session 2026–27, Reading for Pleasure.
In the report, the Education Committee has proposed urgent measures to reverse the sharp decline in children's reading.
Backed by evidence from education experts, charities, and former Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the report highlights that while independent reading boosts children's happiness, health, empathy, and school performance, only 36% of children enjoy reading and just 20% read daily in their spare time.
To address this, the committee welcomed the government's National Year of Reading but warned it risks being a fleeting, one-off effort. Instead, they are calling for a National Decade of Reading - a sustained, 10-year partnership with educators, authors, and publishers to design year-round campaigns and secure reading as a permanent, national priority.
Responding to the report’s publication, Pan Macmillan CEO, Joanna Prior OBE said:
'The Education Committee's Reading for Pleasure report published today is one of the most encouraging government reports on children's reading for decades. I have the privilege of serving as Chair of the National Literacy Trust alongside my CEO role at Pan Macmillan and I have seen first-hand how committed so many people across the literacy sector are to giving every child the chance to discover the joy of reading. This report reflects years of evidence, collaboration and advocacy from organisations and individuals across the country, and lays out an ambitious set of recommendations to meet the challenges that currently exist. With a decade-long commitment to this reading agenda, we can reverse the current trends and create opportunities for children to find stories that might change the course of their lives.'
