In the first blog of our Future of Literacy series, Andrew Ettinger, Director of Education at the National Literacy Trust, explored how and why literacy is evolving – and what it means to be literate in today’s digital-first world.
In the second blog exploring the Future of Literacy, Dr Ellie Bristow, our Policy and Public Affairs Manager, examines the policy landscape of the past decade and highlights how evidence-based policy could help to shape the future of literacy education and break down barriers to opportunities across the UK.
The Future of Literacy: Why it matters more now than ever
The world is changing faster than ever – and with it, the definition of literacy. From spotting misinformation to using AI responsibly and participating fully in civic life, the literacy skills young people need to thrive in school, work, and society are evolving rapidly.
To launch this Future of Literacy project and in order to reflect on the opportunities for policymaking to shape a more inclusive, future-ready vision for literacy, I reviewed the last ten years of UK government policy on media, digital, and critical literacy, as well as educational technology.
The findings were clear, though disappointing.
While the government has shown growing interest in digital inclusion and educational technology, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, many strategies have been inconsistently implemented and often fail to reach the communities who need them most. For example, despite well-meaning targets, 1.5 million households still lacked internet access as recently as 2021.
In the last 10 years, we’ve had six Prime Ministers, 11 Secretaries of State for Education, and 11 Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Additionally, in 2023, the "Digital" portfolio was moved to a newly formed Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, which has seen three Secretaries of State in 18 months.
This constant reshuffling has resulted in fragmented and inconsistent digital governance and commitments in literacy education. Adult education in digital literacy has been largely neglected, and the role of communities in supporting children and young people’s critical literacy development has been overlooked. Media and digital literacy have often been treated as niche concerns rather than essential, core skills for modern life.
These digital barriers, coupled with a rapidly evolving technological landscape, highlight the urgent need to rethink our understanding of literacy.
Ten years of policy in review
The policy review revealed three primary phases of development:
- 2014–2017: Early strategies like the Government Digital Inclusion Strategy aimed for full digital inclusion by 2020. These strategies did not meet the targets set, largely due to underfunding and overly centralised plans.
- 2017–2021: Policies such as the UK Digital Strategy and Culture is Digital acknowledged the role of tech in our economy and culture. These strategies identified the growing importance of digital skills but failed to deliver change at the scale required. The implementation and evaluation of these strategies is inconsistent, making it difficult to determine the extent of their impact.
- 2022–2025: New strategies are tackling AI in education, digital inclusion, and media literacy. The Digital Lifeline initiative and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill show promise and a growing awareness of inclusion. However, I found that challenges like regional inequality, under-resourcing, and unclear definitions of literacy persist, and the strategies do not address equity or adaptability fully.
Across these policies, recurring themes include a lack of clarity around definitions of literacy, insufficient support for marginalised communities, and a disconnect between policy ambition and real-world delivery
So, what needs to change?
What’s clear is that literacy is not just about books. It’s about navigating digital spaces, making sense of media, engaging in democracy, understanding data, and using technology ethically.
In today’s world, we rarely engage with just one format at a time. Instead, young people need:
- Critical literacy to analyse deepfakes, bias, mis- and disinformation and AI-generated content.
- Political and media literacy to participate in online spaces safely and ethically, and to engage meaningfully in civic life.
- Digital literacy not just to access information but to question and create it.
- Speaking, listening, reading and writing, as enduring pillars of communication and connection across multiple formats.
Past policies have treated traditional and digital literacies as separate, missing the opportunity to recognise them as one evolving skillset that can unlock future opportunities. Therefore, through the Future of Literacy work, we will explore the connections between different types of literacy and look to develop recommendations that advance political and policy thinking on literacy.
Education policy is changing - so are we
Through our Future of Literacy work, we’re not just responding to policy, we’re helping shape it.
As education policy adapts to the digital age, we are evolving too, expanding our advocacy to position literacy as a dynamic set of skills essential for equity, wellbeing, opportunity, and lifelong learning.
Currently, access to these opportunities is a postcode lottery, and we believe no child’s future should be determined by where they’re born.
We believe literacy must be expanded to include:
- media and political literacy
- oracy
- digital fluency
- financial literacy, and
- global awareness
These are all essential literacy skills that empower young people to engage with the world critically and confidently. To achieve this, we must collaborate across sectors and government to ensure children and young people gain the skills they need for the future.
What’s next?
The Future of Literacy project is our way of bringing together the best of research, policy, and practice. For us, it’s about listening, learning, and acting.
We want to hear from you – whether you’re a teacher, policymaker, parent, or community leader. Your experiences and insights will help shape a future where every child is equipped with the literacy skills they need to thrive.
This is your opportunity to be part of a national conversation and help shape the literacy agenda for the next generation. Your voice will inform our policy calls, shape future campaigns, and help us push for a system that reflects the real world young people live in.
Together, we can ensure every young person is equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the twenty-first century.