Listening Books

Resource type: Books, ebooks and audiobooks

Price band: £

Key stage: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

Listening Books is a national audiobook charity providing an online and postal audiobook lending service for students who have an illness, disability, learning difficulty or mental health condition that affects their ability to read print books.

Listening Books provides a wide range of audiobooks for children aged seven and upwards. They include;

Fiction and non-fiction titles to promote reading for pleasure.
Set texts and educational titles to support the National Curriculum from KS2 to A-level.
Study and revision guides.
Texts to support mental health and well-being.
Access to thousands of newspapers, magazines and comics online through Pressreader.

Schools can nominate students to access the lending service using one of the school membership plans.

Cost: Membership plans start at £100 per calendar year, depending on the number of student logins required at any one time.

About Listening Books: Listening Books was founded in 1959 by Norma Skemp and is now a national charity that supplies audiobooks to anyone who suffers from a print impairment. Since 2002 Listening Books has also pioneered the Sound Learning initiative that aims to make educational books available in audio formats to improve access to the curriculum for pupils who struggle to read or hold a book.

Literacy Hive Likes:

Listening Books can be streamed live through a PC or Mac in school or can be downloaded to portable devices via the Libby app for use at home. They are also available as MP3 CDs through the post.
Nominated pupils can access the audiobook library during school holidays as well as in term time.
The Teacher Dashboard allows staff to manage student accounts, monitor usage and access a wide range of additional resources.
All the audiobooks are either commercially sourced or are recorded in-house using professional actors and sound recording engineers to ensure high quality listening.
Audiobooks are automatically returned on their due date, ensuring that there are no late fees. They can also be returned early or renewed as needed.
Audiobooks allow children with SEND to access the same texts that their peers are reading, removing unnecessary barriers to learning and promoting inclusivity in the classroom.
Listening Book is an Approved Activity Provider for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. Students can achieve their Bronze Skills Award by filming or recording a review of an audiobook of their choice.