A generation is arriving at school unable to speak. The UK faces a “Language Recession” — and until we restore talk, play and storytime, the reading crisis will deepen.

The Booker Prize Foundation has launched a £50,000 Children’s Booker Prize for ages 8–12 — with child judges at the table and 30,000 free books for those who need them most. Here’s why it matters, how it fits the National Year of Reading, and what schools, parents and publishers should do next.

Why does the white working-class education gap persist? From lost industries and early language delays to poor attendance and a shrinking reading culture, too many pupils are being failed before they begin. This blog explores the causes, and the practical fixes, that could restore dignity, skills and opportunity.