Funded Programme

Reading Reboot

In 2026, the Charlotte Aitken Trust committed over £500,000 to the SLA's Reading Reboot programme. This high impact programme aims to address the ongoing reading crisis by creating librarian-run social book clubs. Reading Reboot - a reading programme funded by the Charlotte Aitken Trust, will build on a proven model, piloted in collaboration with Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2024, to transform how the most disadvantaged and disengaged young people interact with literature and reading.

Beginning in September 2026, the Reading Reboot programme will deliver 1,000 social book clubs in over 100 secondary school libraries in London, the West Midlands and the North East of England. Over three years, the programme will directly reach over 6,000 young people and 100 school librarians and senior school leaders. 

The pioneering programme will focus on Year 8 pupils, targeting the age at which reading for pleasure often shows the steepest decline, and a year group that will soon be subject to a new mandatory reading test. Reading Reboot will deliver ten-week book clubs, run in dedicated spaces within school libraries, by specially trained school librarians.  Key components of the book club sessions will be: dedicated space and time for reading engagement within the school timetable; dedicated book stock, with 100+ new books provided to each participating school; free choice of book titles for participating pupils and a removal of the pressure to read.

This simple, low-pressure approach to book clubs has been proven to increase reading engagement, increase reading age outcomes, improve the wellbeing of participating young people and build the positive, social associations with books and literature that will change attitudes to reading – taking it from a subject to be learnt, to an activity that can bring joy. 

State schools can sign up to receive more information about the Reading Reboot programme now.

Download the Reading Reboot media release.

The Charlotte Aitken Trust is dedicated to the support of literature, writing and reading. It is funded by the estate of the celebrated literary agent Gillon Aitken (1938-2016) in the name of his only daughter Charlotte, who died in 2011 at the age of 27.

The Trust has two founding principles: to advance the education of the public in the subject of literature and to promote the creative arts for the public benefit, especially literature, whether fiction, non-fiction drama or poetry. 

In support of these aims, the Charlotte Aitken Trust has forged partnerships with literary foundations, charities and award-giving bodies; provided funding for book prizes; championed playwrights and theatres; made donations to support the infrastructure of artistic organisations and buildings of national importance; and championed schemes that promote creative writing in schools.

The funding for the SLA's Reading Reboot programme is the most significant grant made by the Charlotte Aitken Trust in its history. Find out more about the Charlotte Aitken Trust.