A record number of children enjoy reading and there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children who read every day, according to the National Literacy Trust’s fifth annual survey of 32,000 children and young people aged between eight and 18.
Children’s and Young People’s Reading in 2014 found that 54.4% of children and young people enjoy reading either very much or quite a lot. Between 2013 and 2014 the number of children and young people who read daily outside class rose from 32.2% to 41.1%.
The gender gap is still a marked issue as girls have largely driven the increases in daily reading and reading enjoyment, pointing to the importance of programmes such as Premier League Reading Stars which uses football to engage boys with reading.
The research also shows there is still more to do to raise awareness among parents of how important their engagement is for their child’s literacy development, particularly among the most disadvantaged children. One child in four (24.3%) agreed with the statement “my parents don’t care if I spend any time reading”. This rose to one third (31.5%) among pupils receiving free school meals.
For the full report visit www.literacytrust.org.uk/reading2014
