NewsWise strengthened primary pupils’ critical literacy skills and increased their interest and confidence in navigating news, according to new report published today
News literacy is increasingly important as fake news around COVID-19 continues to surge
NewsWise’s Happy News Project, which supported pupils’ wellbeing in lockdown, is available for free to all UK primary schools for the 2020/21 academic year
Over the last year, 3,715 children aged 7-11 in areas of disadvantage have been equipped with the skills and knowledge to engage with, challenge and enjoy news thanks to NewsWise, an award-winning free news literacy project from The Guardian Foundation, the National Literacy Trust and the PSHE Association and funded by Google.
A surge in fake news around COVID-19 saw half of people (50%) saying they encountered fake news in the first week of lockdown1 and 6 in 10 (59%) saying they have encountered false or misleading information about coronavirus at least once a day in the past week2. With research showing that fake news can drive a culture of fear, uncertainty and mistrust in the news for children and young people3, the role of NewsWise has never been more important.
An evaluation of NewsWise4 published today found that, in the last academic year, the programme strengthened pupils’ critical literacy skills and increased both their interest and confidence in navigating news. After taking part in the programme:
Twice as many pupils were able to tell whether a news story was real or fake (from 32.7% to 67.2%)
Twice as many pupils were interested in the news (from 36.7% to 75.5%)
More pupils read, watched or listened to the news daily or weekly (from 59.5% to 69.0%)
Pupils were more than twice as likely to feel able to tell if a news source was trustworthy (from 33.3% to 82.8%) and to check its reliability (from 29.0% to 61.6%)
100% of teachers said pupils had a better understanding of different aspects of news, such as the difference between fact and opinion
97% of teachers agreed that pupils’ skills in thinking critically about news increased
In response to school closures as a result of COVID-19, NewsWise created the Happy News Project to support pupils’ wellbeing and encourage them to interact positively with the news. The project uses uplifting news stories to help pupils develop their teamworking, speaking and listening, and news writing and reading skills. The Happy News Project is free for all UK primary schools to support pupils’ wellbeing and transition back to school for the 2020/21 academic year.
In the 2019/20 academic year, NewsWise delivered workshops to 3,715 pupils in 75 primary schools serving areas of disadvantage across the UK. 894 teachers received face-to-face training, a further 240 accessed webinars during lockdown and 31,059 curriculum-based lesson plans and resources were downloaded. Family workshop events were also delivered to 113 children and 85 adults. A virtual NewsWise workshop was also piloted and will be available from September 2020 for schools who were unable to take part in workshops.
Angie Pitt, Director of NewsWise at The Guardian Foundation, said: “Children, their families and their teachers have faced unprecedented challenges this year. With a surge in misinformation about the pandemic, it has been vital to help children develop the news literacy skills they need to understand the avalanche of news, determine the reliability of its sources and encounter positive news stories. We’re delighted that NewsWise has helped to strengthen so many children’s critical literacy skills and engagement with the news during this time and over the past year. Alongside the roll-out of virtual workshops in September, we plan to bring the magic of NewsWise back into classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so.”
To read the full report, visit: https://www.theguardian.com/newswise/2020/sep/17/newswise-evaluation-report-2019-20
To find out more about NewsWise and to register your interest in taking part, visit: www.theguardian.com/newswise
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Media contacts
For further information or to request a spokesperson interview, please contact:
Alex Wright, Media and Communications Officer at the National Literacy Trust, on Alex.Wright@literacytrust.org.uk, or 07714 389440 (out of hours)
Katie Haffner, Senior Communications Manager at The Guardian, on katie.haffner@theguardian.com
John Dillon, Head of Communications and Marketing at the PSHE Association, on john.dillon@pshe-association.org.uk or 020 7922 7950
Notes to editors
1 Ofcom (2020) Adults’ Media Lives
2 Statista (2020) Coronavirus fake news frequency in the UK in August 2020; survey results accessed on 03/09/2020
3 National Literacy Trust and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy (2018) Fake news and critical literacy: final report
4 National Literacy Trust (2020) NewsWise evaluation report 2019/20
About NewsWise
NewsWise is a free, cross-curricular news literacy programme for 9- to 11-year-olds across the UK. The programme aims to empower children with the skills and knowledge to engage with and enjoy news, to feel confident to ask questions and challenge misinformation, and to have their own values and opinions. Based on a shared mission to create a generation of news literate children, NewsWise was developed by The Guardian Foundation, the National Literacy Trust and the PSHE Association, and is funded by Google.
About The Guardian Foundation
The Guardian Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on journalism education, promoting human rights and the right to information. Our vision is a world where all people can tell their stories, access the truth and hold power to account. The charity runs educational programmes both in the UK and internationally. It manages the Guardian Education Centre, which runs news media workshops for schools, universities, teachers and families, the GNM Archive and the Scott Trust Bursary Scheme.
www.theguardian.com/the-guardian-foundation
About the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK and giving children and young people from disadvantaged communities the literacy skills to succeed in life. Our research and analysis make us the leading authority on literacy. We run projects in the UK’s poorest communities, campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians, businesses and parents, and support schools.
Visit literacytrust.org.uk to find out more, donate or sign up for our free email newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL.
About the PSHE Association
The PSHE Association is the national body for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education – a school curriculum subject that supports pupils to be healthy, safe and prepared for modern life. A charity and membership organisation, the Association works to improve PSHE education standards by supporting a national network of teachers and schools with advice, training and resources. Find out more at www.pshe-association.org.uk.
