Sue Wilkinson and Anne Sarrag

1. Summer Reading Challenge
Presentation
Sue Wilkinson, CEO of
The Reading Agency
Photos © Dave Warren 2019 for The Reading Agency
Illustrations © Adam Stower 2019

2. Aims of today
To outline:
• Summer Reading Challenge Review
• Evaluation work in England
• Plans for 2019

3. The Challenge: An Overview

4. The Summer Reading Challenge Review:
What we were trying to do
The goal was both to assess the effectiveness and impact of the current model
and to identify what we need to do to:
• Future-proof the Summer Reading Challenge as a core library offer
• Extend its reach and develop new audiences
• Increase its impact
• Secure new partnerships and investment
• Ensure its future growth and sustainability

5. The consultation involved:

6. The Summer Reading Challenge Review:
Methodology and consultation
• Literature review of relevant local and national policies
• Consultation with libraries, parents and carers, existing and potential
partners, and teachers carried out by:
• The Reading Agency
• Libraries Connected
• Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians (ASCEL)
• Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
• Welsh Books Council
• Additional support to gather evidence from the education sector was
provided by the University of Cambridge ThinkLab scheme and the United
Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA).
• Managed by a sub group of the Summer Reading Challenge Strategy Group

7. The key questions were how to:

8. Summary of findings
Management and Delivery:
• Libraries, their partners and customers have testified to the quality reach and
impact of the programme
• The research has shown a desire to streamline resources and to make the
Challenge easier to manage and deliver
• There is a commitment to maintain and develop the young people’s volunteering
offer because of the benefits the scheme offers to all involved
Partnerships and Audience:
• Parents and carers appreciate a fun activity to occupy their children during the
long school break that is educational, productive and free
• There is clearly potential for expansion and growth and the goal is to work more
closely with schools and parents/carers, particularly in areas of deprivation, and
to involve more children in taking part
• The review has also identified opportunities to pursue new partnerships within
the health, family learning and cultural sectors – to help achieve this goal

9. Summary of findings
Planning for the future and new business models:
• The review reinforced the need to future-proof the challenge to guarantee its
sustainability
• Children growing up in an increasingly digital world expect to be able to
engage with reading activities and share their experiences in different ways
• In addition, there are concerns that the cost of printing and distributing
resources could become prohibitive
Communications and marketing:
• Over 650,000 children are taking part each year, and the review has
highlighted the value of the programme and the potential to increase
participation
• The consultation emphasised the need to both promote and market the
Challenge more effectively to families and schools, and to communicate its
reach and evidence-based impact more effectively to decision-makers and
funders, nationally and locally

10. Evaluating the Challenge in Scotland
• Key priority from the review is having external evaluation of impact
• Goal is to test whether participation really does help tackle the “summer reading
drop”.
• We also want to look at the wider benefits of participation and use this to help us
promote this more effectively in the future.
• This links to the ambitions outlined in your strategy to:
• Align activities provided by libraries with the priorities of funders and decision
makers
• Encourage librarians to be vocal leaders by giving them the strong evidence base
you rightly say we all need
• To date we have:
• Secured the investment
• Gone out to tender and appointed Renaisi
• Put a steering group in place
• The final report for the evaluation is due in January 2020

11. Scope of Research
• Up to 20 schools across England taking part
• Focus on deprived areas, with a mix of urban and rural schools
• In-depth interviews with children, parents/carers, teachers and head
teachers
• Assess any change in reading levels through analysis of standardised test data
• Evaluate the impact of the challenge on children’s reading confidence and
attitudes
• Identify motivators and barriers to taking part in the Challenge
• Explore perceptions of the best strategies and resources to promote the Challenge

12. Summer Reading Challenge: Scotland 2018

13. Summer Reading Challenge:
Scotland 2019
• 25 out of 32 library authorities are
taking part this year
• The official launch date for the
Challenge in Scottish libraries is
Saturday 22 June

14. Summer Reading Challenge Film