23 July 2020
Beyond Words: Coping with Coronavirus Picture Stories
Free picture stories and illustrated guides to support people with learning disabilities and autism through the coronavirus pandemic. Take a look at the Beyond Words books for: Beating the Virus Mental health, end of life and bereavement Secure settings Here: https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/coping-with-coronavirus/#secure-settings
08 July 2020
Editable Bilingual Reading Ahead Achievement Certificate 2019-20
This certificate is for those who participated in Reading Ahead even though they may not have fully completed it. It can be downloaded and edited to fill in the name of the participant and issuer to send out to those who...
08 July 2020
Editable Bilingual Reading Ahead Completion Certificate 2019-20
This certificate is for those who have completed six reads and filled in their Reading Ahead diary in full. It can be downloaded and edited to fill in the name of the completer and issuer to send out to those who...
01 July 2020
Editable Reading Ahead Participation Certificate 2019-20
This certificate is for those who participated in Reading Ahead even though they may not have fully completed it. It can be downloaded and edited to fill in the name of the participant and issuer to send out to those who...
29 May 2020
Reading Ahead for prisons during Covid-19 toolkit
This toolkit contains ideas and resources for continuing with Reading Ahead in prison settings responding to the current lockdown during Covid-19. This is a working document and will be updated as more resources become available. Do get in touch if you...
19 May 2020
This Is Going To Hurt: Diary Writing Challenge
This activity sheet has been designed for use alongside reading the Quick Reads version of Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt. It provides inspiration and a framework for starting a diary.
06 May 2020
Reading Ahead 2019-20: Have Your Say
We hope you have enjoyed taking part in Reading Ahead 2019-20. For a chance to win a £25 shopping voucher, please tell us about your Reading Ahead experience by answering the quick and easy questions in the survey below. Thank...
30 April 2020
The Reading Agency Hub
Here you can access The Reading Agency at home. You’ll find ideas, activities and challenges from across our programmes to entertain and educate yourself, your family or those you are teaching remotely. The activities will be refreshed every couple of weeks...
29 April 2020
Penned By A Prisoner Daily Writing Challenge (days 21-30)
Resources for days 21 – 30 of the Penned By A Prisoner daily writing challenge created by HMP Brixton. Tweet #PennedByAPrisoner to share writing. Some of the challenges are in collaboration with PACT, a charity that support prisoners and their families...
21 January 2020
The Monster Writing (A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness) - guide
Walker Books have an exciting creative writing challenge called THE MONSTER CHALLENGE. ‘Stories are important. Stories can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.’ Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls Are you a young person with a passion for telling...
02 December 2019
Making Reading Ahead work for prisoners with ESOL
This four-page leaflet draws together the findings, practical tips and creative tools from our three-year project to support prisoners with ESOL funded by The Bell Foundation. Please scroll down this resources page to find other downloadable items.
17 October 2019
Guide to running Reading Ahead 2019-20
This is a comprehensive guide to running Reading Ahead which explains how the programme works, some best practice case studies, key contacts and how we evaluate the programme. Please do get in touch if you have any further questions.
25 September 2019
Quick Reads back catalogue 2006 - 2020
Quick Reads began in 2006. Since then 4.8 million copies of more than 100 titles have been distributed! The books have been loaned more than five million times through libraries. The 2020 list are currently available to pre-order from all major...
06 September 2019
Reading Ahead 2019-20 Advocacy Leaflet for Prisons
Here is a one-pager about Reading Ahead in prisons with endorsements from participants and organisers in prisons for you to use when putting the case for the programme. It’s not intended for use with prisoners themselves.
05 June 2019
Changemaker Reads
To celebrate National Reading Group Day on 15 June, we asked reading groups which books inspire them to change the world. Tackling themes of identity, discrimination and equality, these are some of the books that make you want to make...
08 January 2019
January 2019 Young People's booklist - Epic Tales (Myths and legends)
Our January Young People’s booklist – Myths and Legends This month we have been thinking about myths and legends and modern retellings of these stories. We have selected six books for young people which include three novels, two graphic novels and...
09 November 2018
Evaluation of the Reading Ahead ESOL pilot
This reports on the third year of our project for prisoners with ESOL funded by The Bell Foundation and draws on evidence from the previous two years.
07 November 2018
The Reading Agency booklists for ESOL learners
Here are two booklists compiled as part of the Reading Ahead with ESOL in prisons project funded by The Bell Foundation together with some guidance provided by NATECLA. These are useful for anyone working with young people and adults with...
07 November 2018
Words and Memories: Creative writing by ESOL learners
This collection of writing by prisoners whose first language is not English was produced over the course of six workshops in three UK prisons – HMP Downview, HMP High Down and HMP Thameside – between May and July 2018. ...
07 November 2018
ESOL Creative writing in prison materials pack
This is a pack of guidance for anyone wanting to run a creative writing workshop with prisoners whose first language is not English. It includes a powerpoint, notes for workshop leaders, guidance for workshop assistants and several handouts for...
07 November 2018
Creative activities for using with Reading Ahead for prisoners with ESOL
These seven documents provide a wide range of activities for using alongside Reading Ahead for prisoners with English as a Second Language or Additional Language. They have been created by David Kendall as part of a project funded by...
02 November 2018
A Society of Readers - executive summary
A new report that we commissioned from leading independent think tank Demos lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the...
02 November 2018
A Society of Readers
A new report lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the full report and share your thoughts on Twitter and...
19 September 2018
Reading Ahead 2017-18 Evaluation Report
This reports on the impact of Reading Ahead 2017-18 on participants and participating organisations. It is based on survey returns from individual participants and from public libraries, learning providers, prisons and workplaces taking part in the programme.
22 November 2017
Reading Ahead 2016-17 Evaluation Report
This reports on the impact of Reading Ahead 2016-17 on participants and participating organisations. It is based on survey returns from individual participants and from public libraries, learning providers, prisons and workplaces taking part in the programme.
12 October 2017
Guidance to support reading for pleasure for prisoners with ESOL
This is a document compiled by Jenny Roden and Celine Castelino from NATECLA (National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults) to accompany their list of book recommendations for people learning English as a Second or Additional Language...
02 August 2017
Women in Translation booklist
August is Women in Translation Month. Only a tiny fraction of fiction published in English is translated, and only about a quarter of that translated fiction was originally written by women. For some reason, fiction in translation by women remains...
30 January 2017
Looking for Captain Poldark by Rowan Coleman: Quick Reads learning resource
These resources have been designed for those using Quick Reads independently, as well as for those using Quick Reads in a group.
30 January 2017
The Other Side of You by Amanda Craig: Quick Reads learning resource
These resources have been designed for those using Quick Reads independently, as well as for those using Quick Reads in a group.
30 January 2017
Dead Simple by Harry Bingham (Editor): Quick Reads learning resource
These resources have been designed for those using Quick Reads independently, as well as for those using Quick Reads in a group.
