GCSE pupils ‘reading books better suited to 13-year-olds’
PRIMARY school pupils in Wales read easier books in English at a lower comprehension compared with the other home nations, and some pupils sitting GCSEs have a reading age of 13 or lower, a UK-wide study out today says.
When they are reading in English three authors dominate pupils’ reading choices at both Welsh- and English-medium primary and secondary schools in Wales – Roald Dahl, comedian-turned-writer David Walliams and Jeff Kinney, writer of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
The What Kids are Reading Report 2018 looked at reading habits in English-medium books among 19,791 young people from school years one to 11 aged five to 16 in Welsh- and English-medium schools in Wales.
At secondary level it found pupils in Wales, like those across the UK, lag behind primary in reading.
Roald Dahl titles take the six top spots and the ninth place in the top 10 most-read books among primary age children in Wales, but fail to make the top 10 at secondary level.
While David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny is the most read among secondary pupils, the rest of the list is dominated by Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
These authors also dominate the top 10 at primaries and secondaries in all UK nations.
Only in Scottish secondary schools do two other authors appear – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne in first place and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling in seventh place there.
The study by literacy and assessment provider Renaissance UK says it has “exposed literacy issues across primary and secondary school pupils in Wales”.
The report was compiled using data from Renaissance analysed by Keith Topping, Professor of educational and social research at Dundee University School of Education. He fears lack of reading skills is detrimental for future education and jobs.
“The Renaissance study highlights a persistent UK-wide problem in encouraging secondary school pupils to read challenging and ageappropriate books. This challenge is particularly acute in Wales when compared with the rest of the UK,” the report says.
“Where in other regions book difficulty levels rise sharply each year of primary school, meaning that primary pupils are typically reading markedly more advanced books for their chronological age – in Wales primary pupils are barely reading above their chronological age.”
The challenge in primary school is not just consigned to reading age but also comprehension, where Wales performs particularly poorly in primary school compared to the other home nations, the document adds.
This means that primary school pupils are reading less difficult books at a lower comprehension than the other home nations.
“Like the rest of the UK, progress stops when pupils reach secondary school and the difficulty of books read falls as pupils get older. This decline exists among both boys and girls.
“Consequently, the gap between reading ability and pupils’ age grows every year of secondary school.”
In the first year of secondary school pupils aged 11 are reading one year less than their chronological age, the study found. This carries on until age 16, by which time pupils are reading at least three years below their chronological age – meaning that many pupils sitting their GCSEs have the reading ability of a 13-yearold or lower.
This slump in reading difficulty after the transfer to secondary schools exists across all parts of the UK, researchers found.
Prof Topping called for secondary schools to put dedicated reading time into the curriculum to ensure teenagers don’t fall further behind.
The Welsh Government questioned what methods were used for the study and whether or not it was representative.
A spokesman said: “Improving literacy skills of all learners in Wales is a key priority in our national mission for education.
“Our national literacy and numeracy programme has set the direction and provides significant support for literacy and numeracy across the curriculum. This includes our Literacy and Numeracy Framework, which ensures reading is a central part of learning in all classrooms in every subject.
“We also fund a number of programmes including the Summer Reading Challenge, Bookstart, Pori Drwy Stori and the Letterbox Club, which support all learners to have access to books and are designed to inspire a love of reading from an early age.
“Great progress is being made through the hard work of teachers and practitioners, as evidenced by Estyn and the evaluation of the national literacy and numeracy programmes.”
Welsh Books Council said: “One of our main aims is to promote reading for pleasure among children and young adults both in schools and at home. We are working with authors, publishers and many other partner organisations to provide enriching reading opportunities for all ages.”