Laura Sharman 19 August 2015

All children to be enrolled at a local library pledges minister

All children over 8-years old will automatically be enrolled at their local library, in a bid to improve literacy and stop the closure of public libraries.

Under plans unveiled today, education secretary Nicky Morgan has said it was a 'national mission' to improve the literacy levels of schoolchildren.

As well as issuing library cards to all junior school students, there are also plans to create at least 200 new book clubs across the country.

Officials hope this will stop the closure of libraries, which often have their funding withdrawn if there are not enough members.

Ms Morgan, who has teamed up with comedian David Walliams to launch the campaign, said: 'No matter where they live or what their background, every single child in this country deserves the opportunity to read, to read widely, and to read well - it’s a simple matter of social justice.

'Our reforms have already helped tens of thousands more pupils to leave primary school as confident readers but we must go further.'

Figures show that one in five children leave primary school unable to read well enough to succeed at secondary school, rising to one in three among the most disadvantaged children.

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