For the last two years, the National Literacy Trust has been supporting children in Northern Ireland to rediscover a love of reading through our Libraries for Primaries campaign, made possible through our partnership with Chase and supported by Penguin Books.
Since February 2024, we have transformed reading spaces in over 73 primary school libraries across the home nation.
Each school has received a diverse range of 500 brand new, high-quality books as well as other formats including audio players and story cards. Each library has been furnished with cosy and inviting new seating, cushions and shelving to create a vibrant and appealing space to relax, browse the book choices available and share stories together as children find new ways to immerse in their next favourite read.
Through the Libraries for Primaries initiative in Northern Ireland, teachers and library staff have been equipped with bespoke training to empower them with creative and practical ways to foster a love of reading in their setting. While a replenishment of termly book packs and access to our literacy resources and premium membership ensures ongoing support to create a legacy of reading which is embedded across the school day.
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The story so far...
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73 primary schools have benefitted, and climbing
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Over 6,000 children supported
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Two fully-funded flagship libraries
"It's so important to give our children the opportunity to experience a love of reading, escape into stories and different worlds, and develop their imaginative and creative thinking."
Meet one of our flagship libraries
Holy Evangelists’ Primary School hosts one of our flagship libraries in Northern Ireland. They have seen the tide turn as children flock to enjoy their brand new school library - a provision they otherwise wouldn't have been able to make into a reality due to competing pressures on finances, time and resources.
Principal of the school, Claire Robinson, told us: "We're absolutely delighted to have a new library - thanks to Chase and the National Literacy Trust - and to be a flagship school in Northern Ireland for the programme."
Claire went on to describe their new library as a "magical addition to our school which has turned a dream into a reality."
"It's so important to give our children the opportunity to experience a love of reading, escape into stories and different worlds, and develop their imaginative and creative thinking - because we know this can all help to build confidence and self-esteem. We could never have afforded to convert a space and fill it with new books, due to the rising costs of resources and limited budgets, so the excitement we feel about now having this space to use every day is brilliant."
What does the research say?
Our latest research shows that reading enjoyment levels in Northern Ireland are critical. In fact, fewer than 3 in 10 (28.9%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 say they enjoyed reading in their free time whilst only 1 in 6 (16.9%) say they read daily or almost daily in their free time.
This is why we focused our Libraries for Primaries programme in the country and are committed longer-term to work alongside organisations, communities and stakeholders in Northern Ireland to foster a lifelong love of reading during the National Year of Reading and beyond.
Harnessing the National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland
The National Year of Reading in Northern Ireland launched at Stormont this February, bringing together school children, government, community groups, charities and businesses in a landmark roundtable event to mark the start of a year-long national effort to reignite a love of reading.
Across Northern Ireland, the National Year of Reading will harness bold, modern messaging and culturally relevant voices to make reading visible, engaging and accessible.
The campaign will bring together organisations across literacy, arts, culture, education, community and business to create shared momentum, building on Northern Ireland’s strong community-centred culture, deeply embedded local networks, and collaborative public and voluntary sectors.
What next?
Partnerships are at the heart of our approach and they’re how we achieve the biggest impact. We want to establish our first Northern Ireland Literacy Hub with local voices and local partners so that, together, we can combine local impact and the power of literacy to change the life stories of Northern Ireland's children and young people.
The legacy
The National Literacy Trust has a proven legacy of working collaboratively with communities to understand what’s required at a local level, and we empower people to take active roles in shaping and delivering our projects.
We understand the current priorities for Northern Ireland and the nuance required by working within this home nation. We want to build on the momentum of the National Year of Reading and our demonstrated impact transforming reading spaces in many of Northern Ireland's primary schools so that we continue to make change happen on a local level, spurred on by the evidence from our Annual Literacy Survey, and explore ways to develop a new literacy framework.
We are committed to standing with local organisations, charities and key literacy partners as well as Northern Ireland's policymakers, local council and educators to ensure all children and young people have the literacy skills to grow, learn and thrive.
How to get involved
Are you a local organisation, passionate about your community?
Our work wouldn't be possible without our incredible partner organisations. If you work for an organisation in Northern Ireland, are interested in supporting us or want to find out how you can get involved with our shared mission to ensure children and young people in Northern Ireland have the literacy skills to grow, learn and thrive, we'd love to hear from you as we seek to grow our roots in Northern Ireland.
Please get in touch via email: laura.fitzpatrick@literacytrust.org.uk
Schools and settings: Keep up-to-date
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Download the National Year of Reading toolkit packed with resources and tips on how to be part of the year-long initiative.
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