Evaluation

In September 2010 Booktrust commissioned the independent research agency ERS to undertake an evaluation of the Booked Up programme in 2010-11.

The evaluation consisted of two parts:

A programme wide evaluation that explored all aspects of the programme and collected both qualitative and quantitative data from Year 7 students and Booked Up Coordinators;
An impact study that sought to assess the impact of the programme by conducting surveys with Year 7 students and their parents/carers prior to being made aware of the Booked Up programme and approximately two months after Booked Up books were received.

Highlights of the reports include:

92% of students think that Booked Up is a good idea.
96.9% of Coordinators feel that Booked Up is ‘very effective’ or ‘quite effective’ at promoting reading for pleasure.
73.5% of Coordinators report that they see evidence of students wanting to read more for pleasure as a result of Booked Up.
More than half of students said that they were reading books more often and enjoying books more since receiving their Booked Up book.
More visits to bookshops: 56% of pupils stated that Booked Up had encouraged them to visit bookshops more frequently.
Book purchasing: Over one third of students (36%) reported that Booked Up had led them to buy books for themselves or recommend the purchase of books to friends and family.
Book recommendations: Half of all students recommended their book to a friend or family member.
Parental impact: 66% of parents surveyed felt that Booked Up has led to them talking more to their child about books, whilst 32% have been prompted to purchase books for their child.

Further information

Independent research agency SQW consulting carried out an evaluation of the Booked Up programme in 2009-10.

Highlights of the report included:

Booked Up stimulated excitement about books, encouraged library use and helped with the induction to reading at a secondary school level.
Nearly all Booked Up coordinators thought that Booked Up helped encourage reading overall among Year 7s, as did a clear majority of children.
Children in the most deprived areas were more likely to think that receiving the free book would encourage them to read.