The shocking amount of schoolchildren in Sheffield who don't own a single book

The shocking figures have been released by the trust as part of a new research report entitled 'book ownership and reading outcomes'.

A staggering three-quarters of a million (770,129) UK school children don't own a book.

Of these children, those who receive free school meals, boys of all ages and teenagers are the most likely to say they have no books of their own at home.

In Sheffield, an astonishing 6,547 children who not have a single book of their own.

The report found that children who own a book are 15 times more likely to read above the level expected for their age and are four times less likely to read below the expected level.

The figures relate to children aged eight to 18.

Jonathan Douglas, director of the trust, said: “Books have the power to transform children’s lives, which is why it is so alarming to discover that more than three-quarters of a million children in the UK don’t have a single book to call their own.

Getting books in to the hands of children and helping them discover a love of reading is at the very heart of everything we do."

Author and National Literacy Trust Ambassador Cressida Cowell, said: “Opening a new book for the very first time still fills me with the same excitement and anticipation that it did as a child.

"Not only do books enable children to discover new worlds, meet new people and learn about the past, but they also have the power to transform lives.

"By sparking imaginations, stimulating critical thinking, and helping develop empathy, reading gives children the very literacy skills they need to succeed at school, at work and in life.

“Yet far too many children from some of the poorest families in the UK are missing out on the chance to reach their potential for one simple reason – they don’t have a single book of their own at home.

"Just one book can make a huge difference."