A quarter of all 11-year-olds in England, and close to half of disadvantaged children, were unable to read well when they left primary school last year. This will prevent them from achieving their potential in secondary school, and beyond, and creates obstacles to a fairer society.
Read On. Get On. was launched in 2014 by a coalition of 12 charities and educational organisations committed to improving reading levels in England. The goal is to get all children reading well by the age of 11 by 2025, with an interim goal that all children will be achieving good levels of language, early literacy and reading development by the age of five, by 2020.
In April 2015, we were delighted to receive cross-party political support for ROGO's campaign aim, demonstrating the commitment of the three main parties to prioritising children’s literacy. The Fair Education Alliance and the National Literacy Forum also adopted the ROGO goals, working closely together.
In November 2016, we launched our strategy to get all children reading well by the age of 11. The strategy outlines ten steps to reach the ROGO goal of getting all children reading well by the end of primary school and emphasises that the vital importance of teaching phonics and comprehension in schools needs to be complemented by approaches that help every child to engage with and develop a love of reading. The strategy also builds on the expertise of teachers and the strengths of settings, schools, libraries and the third sector.
The ROGO coalition has worked the government and researchers to create a consistent, holistic measure of children’s reading in England that encompasses cognitive skills, affective processes and reading behaviours. The ROGO Index was launched in 2017 and will be published on an annual basis.
The National Literacy Trust currently holds the secretariat of the campaign. If you have any questions about the campaign, email Harriet.McCann@literacytrust.org.uk.