The UK faces a literacy crisis that needs to be addressed immediately, according to a new a study led by the charity Save the Children.

According to the report Read On, Get On, thousands of children leave primary school unable to read well.

This is especially true of youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds, with four out of ten pupils from poor families found to still be struggling to read by the time they turn 11.

As these individuals enter secondary school, this illiteracy can “engender a crippling lack of confidence and confusion”, explained Dame Julia Cleverdon in her foreword.

In turn, this can lead to “humiliation and despair precisely at the moment when raised aspirations and the enjoyment of achievement should be creating a positive future for every child”.

The coalition behind the study, which includes Achievement for All, HarperCollins, TeachFirst, the National Literacy Trust and The Reading Agency, has launched a campaign to address this serious issue and ensure that by 2025, all children will “start secondary school as confident readers”.           

“It is tragic and unfair that children from the poorest families and the most deprived communities are least likely to read well at the age of 11 in the UK - one of the wealthiest countries in the world,” commented Dame Julia.

“This vital long term campaign with broad based energetic support aims to make a life-changing difference both for children in poverty and for our society.”

One of the key themes emerging from the campaign is that everyone can contribute to ridding the UK of illiteracy. From parents to grandparents, businesses to volunteers, celebrities to politicians, all have a role in boosting the reading abilities of children.

The campaign also has some top tips it wants to promote. This includes encouraging reading anywhere and everywhere; promoting reading beyond paper books (newspapers, comics, texts, online content); and leading by example (adults need to be seen to be reading a lot more).