Survey says reading not seen as ‘cool’ by schoolchildren
A survey of 410 secondary school teachers has found that many worry that children do not read for pleasure by the time they finish primary school, reports the BBC.
The survey for publishers Pearson found that 94% thought their pupils would rather spend time online than reading, with 97% saying they thought parents could do more to get their children to read. Two-thirds said reading was not seen as “cool” by pupils.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the Government was working to encourage children to read for pleasure and would launch a national school’s reading competition for the next academic year.
“In a world of so many distractions for young minds, the place of literature is more important than ever,” Nick said.
“Children need to master the basics of reading as early as possible in primary school so they can then go on to explore magical and powerful books such as Private Peaceful, Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm and those by Charles Dickens,” he said.
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