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Scottish 16-year-olds sitting their exams 'have reading age of only 13'

Research has found many Scottish 16-year-olds have a reading age of only 13 - PA
Research has found many Scottish 16-year-olds have a reading age of only 13 - PA

Many 16-year-old pupils sitting their National exams have the reading ability of a 13-year-old or lower, according to a damning literacy study that prompted intensified criticism of the SNP’s decade-long education record.

The literacy and assessment provider Renaissance UK said secondary school pupils in Scotland were not reading challenging enough books and potentially harming their ability to properly understand exam papers.

It is calling for more dedicated time for reading in secondary school after looking at the reading performance of 29,524 pupils across Scotland for the What Kids are Reading Report.

The study found an emphasis on literacy development in primary schools which sees pupils typically read more advanced books for their age but progress largely stops when they reach secondary school, with the difficulty of books falling as pupils get older.

It concluded that pupils in the final year of primary school Scottish pupils are reading at a standard equivalent one year less than their age, but this lag doubles to two years by the first year of secondary school.

And by the later years of secondary school, pupils are reading at least three years below their chronological age. This means many 16-year-olds sitting their National 4 and 5 exams have the reading ability of a 13-year-old or lower.

Scotland’s education system recorded its worst ever performance for reading in an international survey in December 2016, falling from 11th to 23rd in a league table comprising other developed countries including the rest of the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon has promised a renewed focus on literacy and has created the First Minister's Reading Challenge to promote literacy and "reading cultures" in schools, libraries and communities.

Children were found to be a year behind their expected reading age by the end of primary school - Credit: PA
Children were found to be a year behind their expected reading age by the end of primary school Credit: PA

Dirk Foch, Renaissance UK managing director, said: "The vast majority of primary schools place an emphasis on developing pupils' literacy skills. However, this is rarely continued once pupils go to secondary school.

"By the time many come to sit their National 4 and 5 examinations, many will have a reading age of 13 or less, meaning that they could even struggle to comprehend their exam papers. This could have a significant impact on their future academic success.”

The study found pupils in secondary school often read books that are no harder than those in primary school. Books by David Walliams and Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series both dominate the top ten books read by both primary and secondary pupils in Scotland.

It said the decline exists among both boys and girls and across the UK as a whole and could be reduced by reading for just 15 minutes a day.

Keith Topping, professor of educational and social research at the University of Dundee, said pupils should be encouraged to push themselves to read more difficult books.

Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Education Minister, said the study was deeply worrying and laid bare “the full extent of the challenge that is facing schools as they try to raise attainment”.

She added: “It is therefore vital that there is much more focus on the 3Rs and ensuring that all teachers feel fully confident in their own skills to teach them.”

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, said: “These figures will be even worse when considered along the lines of the richest and poorest pupils - and are the result of a decade of SNP cuts to education.”

But a Scottish Government spokesman said: “Improving education and raising standards for all is this government’s number one priority.

“That is why our education reforms have a relentless focus on literacy and we are making a significant investment, through the Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Funding, to close the literacy attainment gap.”