Reading Ahead

Reading Ahead

Photo of two teenage boys sat with an adult man looking at a book. There are bookshelves in the background.

What is Reading Ahead?

Reading Ahead builds reading confidence, skills and encourages everyone to read more. Run in prisons, public libraries, colleges, adult community learning settings and workplaces, Reading Ahead engages participants in the joy of reading, often for the first time, which in turn helps them to improve their language and literacy skills. 

Participants choose six reads: books, magazines, recipes, letters – anything! After completing each read, they share their thoughts on what they’ve read by filling out a review in their personal Reading Ahead Reading Diary and work towards receiving a certificate of achievement. Readers can use our reading database to search for material at the right reading level and coordinators can access a hub of supporting guidance, learning resources and promotional materials on our Resources database.

Who is it for?

Reading Ahead is aimed at young people and adults who are less confident readers and those who want to improve their literacy and language skills or get back into reading. It is run in prisons, public libraries, colleges, adult community learning centres and workplaces across the UK. 

For more information on how to take part, the programme resources, costs and incentives, please click the below link to ‘get involved’.

A middle aged man in a library smiles reading a copy of Nightingale Point by Luann Goldie
An icon of a person sitting and reading a book.

Adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction

Reading for pleasure enhances empathy and the ability to understand others’ identities

Resources

The Reading Agency

Join our mailing list

Get our newsletters to stay up to date with programme news, resources, news and more.

Back to Top