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Why are we needed?
Around a quarter of all children left primary school last year unable to read well. These children are at a disadvantage because they are unable to access their secondary education properly, and this has lifelong consequences.
Good literacy at an early age improves academic achievement and this leads to greater opportunities of all kinds in adulthood. Unfortunately the statistics on UK reading ability are stark:
- One in four children left primary school in 2024 unable to read to the required standard.
- 68% of disadvantaged pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in year 1.
- Children who read for pleasure at the age of 11 are far more likely to go on to have a positive experience of school and have much improved life chances.
- It was estimated that in 2024, there were 6.6 million functionally illiterate adults in England, who will likely have difficulty reading the front page of a broadsheet newspaper, understanding the instructions on a medicine bottle, sitting a theory test for a driver’s licence, or succeeding in writing a job application.
Research suggests that there could be a strong link between raising levels of childhood literacy and lowering the risk of offending.
- Nearly half (48%) of young offenders have a reading age below that of an 11-year-old whilst 40% of those in prison have poor reading skills.
-Sadly 57% of people entering the prison system have literacy skills lower than those expected of an 11-year-old.
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SOURCES
1. Gov.UK, Key Stage 2 attainment Academic Year 2023/24
2. KS1 phonics screening check attainment, www.Gov.uk, October 2024
3. 'Mental wellbeing, reading and writing' Report from The Literacy Trust, October 2018
4 . Gov.uk, survey of adult skills 2023
5. OLASS English and Maths assessments, (2018)
6. Prison education: a review of reading education in prisons