Go All In and the National Year of Reading
You spend your days encouraging pupils to read. Cheering on reluctant readers, celebrating the ones who have finally found a book they love, finding ways to build it into your lessons wherever you can.
When did you last read something just for you?
2026 is the National Year of Reading. The campaign behind it, Go All In, is built on a simple idea: reading for enjoyment is good for all of us. It expands how we think, it improves how we feel, and it gives pupils something no other intervention quite replicates. For teachers and support staff, there is a lot in it, both for you personally and for your classroom.
What is Go All In?
Go All In is a UK-wide campaign led by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with the Department for Education. It aims to get more people reading for enjoyment, in whatever way works for them.
The idea at the heart of it is that reading does not have to look a particular way. The campaign's own framing puts it simply: if you're into it, read into it. Sport, music, gaming, nature, fashion, history, TV and film. It meets people where they already are, rather than asking them to find time for something that feels like another obligation. That applies to staff in education just as much as it does to pupils.
The resources are refreshed consistently throughout the year, with new material available each term, into the summer, and beyond.
Why reading enjoyment matters right now
The context behind Go All In is important, particularly for anyone working in schools.
According to the National Literacy Trust's 2025 Annual Literacy Survey, just 1 in 3 children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time. That is the lowest figure recorded in 20 years, representing a 36% decline since 2005. Fewer than 1 in 5 said they read something daily outside school.
Those are shocking numbers. But the same research points to something hopeful: children and young people are more likely to engage with reading when it connects to their interests, gives them autonomy and feels relevant to their lives. That is exactly what Go All In is designed to do, and it is why the campaign is a brilliantly usefgo-all-in-reading-teachersul resource for teachers and support staff thinking about how to reach reluctant readers.
Reading for enjoyment and your own wellbeing
The benefits of reading are not just for the pupils in your classroom.
Research from The Reading Agency found that regular readers report fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers. 44% of regular readers say reading has improved their mental health and wellbeing, compared to just 23% of people who have stopped reading or rarely do it.
All reading counts. A chapter before bed. A book on the commute. An article on your lunch break. Audiobooks on a long drive. Go All In is built on the principle that any reading, around whatever already interests you, counts. There is no format requirement, no reading list, no target.
For teachers and support staff, carving out that space matters beyond the personal benefit. How well you look after yourself feeds into how sustainably you show up for your pupils, across a long term and across a whole year.
Reading resources for your classroom
The Go All In campaign and the National Literacy Trust are clear on why this matters: the decline in reading enjoyment is not just a literacy issue. It affects cognitive development, language acquisition and critical thinking skills, and contributes to widening social and economic inequalities. For anyone working directly with pupils, that context demonstrates just how important campaigning for reading is.
These are the practical, easy-to-access resources we recommend:
The campaign has free resources built around what pupils already love, organised by interest so you can find something relevant to the pupils in front of you. Rather than asking hesitant readers to engage with reading as a separate task, the resources bring it into their existing interests, routines, and what they already care about. The campaign is designed to make reading part of everyday learning without adding to an already busy day.
Beyond the campaign resources at goallin.org.uk, the National Literacy Trust has a programme running across the National Year of Reading that includes termly professional development, classroom-ready resources, webinars and live events, all free to access. Sessions cover areas including leading reading for enjoyment, creating inclusive library environments, the link between literacy and mental wellbeing in teenagers, and sustaining reading momentum across terms. These are resources you can explore and draw on in your own lesson prep, at whatever point in the year works for you.
A note from Reeson Education
We spend every day working with teachers and support staff across the UK, finding them roles that suit them and trying to understand what matters to them, not just professionally but as people. Campaigns like Go All In are part of the wider picture of what makes teaching a sustainable and rewarding career, and that is something we care about.
Go All In is a campaign anyone can explore, for what it offers you personally and for what it can bring to your classroom. Head to goallin.org.uk to find reading inspiration and resources built around your own interests and those of your pupils.
Follow the campaign using #GoAllIn2026 and #NationalYearOfReading2026.