The annual What Kids are Reading report looks into the reading habits of around 426,000 pupils across years 1 to 11 in more than 2,000 schools.
This year’s results show that in primary school both the difficulty levels of books chosen and the accuracy with which they are read is on the rise compared with last year.
However, in year 7 the study finds that children are choosing books at six months below their chronological age and as they progress through secondary school reading difficulty plateaus or declines.
The report contends that year 6 is the last year when children, on average, are reading more or less at their natural reading age and says that in secondary schools both struggling readers and high-achievers are “under-challenged by the books they are choosing to read”. It urges secondary schools to ensure a “higher level of challenge”.
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