Children with SEND want to Hear a Story

A Calibre Audio survey has revealed an encouraging appetite among primary school children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for listening to stories.

The national charity has been opening up the world of reading since 1974, supporting people with a print disability by providing access to over 25,000 audiobooks.

Now Calibre Audio’s Assisted Reading with Audiobooks Project 2026 has highlighted that there’s an opportunity to help more children discover the joy of reading through audiobooks.

The project investigates and promotes how multi-sensory reading - specifically combining an audiobook with a printed text - can improve literacy, comprehension, and emotional wellbeing for students with SEND.

With a key focus on reading for pleasure, Calibre Audio offers support and resources to schools to promote audiobook use, along with free and unlimited access to thousands of audiobook titles.

The report identifies some key priorities: introducing audiobooks early to new listeners and starting with books children already know and enjoy.

This approach echoes the National Year of Reading Go All In campaign’s focus on personal interests as a starting point for reading, to encourage people to discover reading through the passions they already have. The campaign includes audiobooks alongside novels, non-fiction, poetry, comics and other literature, recognising that reading can take many forms.

While over one third of surveyed children had never listened to an audiobook, 69% of children who rated audiobooks like or love them. Calibre Audio’s survey offers further reasons for optimism: 73% of children like or love being read to, and 66% of those who describe reading as “OK” prefer listening to audiobooks. These findings suggest a promising opportunity to engage children whose enthusiasm for reading is still developing.

“The barrier to audiobooks looks like access or awareness, not lack of interest,” said Helen Mee (pictured above), Director of Communities and Learning at Calibre Audio.

“Every child deserves the chance to get lost in a wonderful story. These findings are encouraging because they show that children who feel less confident about reading can still enjoy listening.

“In this National Year of Reading, the invitation to Go All In should be open to everyone, including those who find printed books difficult to access. By connecting children with stories that reflect their interests, in a format that works for them, Calibre Audio helps people stay connected to stories, learning and everyday life in a way that works for them.”

As the National Year of Reading encourages more people to make reading part of everyday life, these baseline findings highlight an opportunity to put accessible reading opportunities for children at the heart of conversations about reading for pleasure.

To find out more visit https://www.calibreaudio.org.uk/