‘Novels, graphic novels or magazines make grade’

Comment Marc Lambert

This important survey is to be welcomed as it focuses attention on the importance of reading. It confirms what the Scottish Government’s own survey of 2017 found, namely that the habit of reading, and especially of reading for pleasure, declines as pupils move through primary into secondary education.

The report goes a step further, also expressing concern about the ageappropriateness of what nearly 30,000 pupils across Scotland choose to read. It’s here that things become more complex, if recommendations are to be made.

We know that by the time young people start secondary school they will have many more demands on their time, not least from the digital world. It’s not surprising therefore that their reading development slows. As this report shows, by the later years of secondary, pupils may be reading books aimed at children up to three years younger.

However, calls to address this issue by pushing pupils to challenge themselves with more advanced reading content should be balanced against the most important factor in sustaining the reading for pleasure habit – personal choice. For 0 Reading, no matter what, is vital says Marc Lambert example, initiatives such as the First Minister’s Reading Challenge support personal reading choices, while creating a space for teacher, pupil and school librarian to discuss those choices.

Given the decline of interest in reading that is evident as pupils move into and through secondary school, the most important thing of all is to sustain a child’s reading habit through the enjoyment they can derive from it.

The school librarian’s role here is key. Novels are ideal. But if graphic novels or magazines are preferred, or books intended for younger children, that’s OK too.

At this stage in their lives, that children continue to read for pure enjoyment is more important than the level at which they are reading. If a love of reading is made secure in their lives, in time their choices will broaden to include books that offer different and more challenging experiences. l Marc Lambert is the chief executive officer of the Scottish Book Trust, a national charity