There’s a photo of me from when I was a toddler that I now know was a sign of what was to come. In the image, I am perched under the speckled shade of a tree, brandishing a pad and pen, completely engrossed by what I am scribbling.
Children’s Literacy Levels
I am telling you this because I, more than anyone, understand the profound impact writing and reading can have on a child. That’s why it depresses me to think that 106,000 five-year-olds in England fell behind their expected literacy levels in 2024. Reading and writing are not just valuable pastimes; they are key skills for a successful future, both academically and professionally. But these skills take time, resources and effort to develop.
Of the thousands of 8-18-year-olds surveyed by the National Literacy Trust in 2024, only 1 in 5 (20.5 per cent) responded that they read daily, and only 1 in 9 (11 per cent) said they wrote daily in their free time, the lowest level recorded since 2005. The situation has become so dire in England that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made improving infants’ literacy levels and ‘readiness to learn’ one of his six major targets in December.
But why are so many children falling behind?
School Libraries
The closure of public libraries has been a controversial issue for many years now — it was the subject of my very first article back in September 2023. But perhaps not enough media coverage has been devoted to the gradual decline in the number of libraries within educational institutions. The percentage of secondary schools in the UK with a library fell from 96 per cent to 86 per cent between 2019 and 2023. And figures from primary schools paint a similarly bleak picture: 1 in 7 don’t have a library. Reasons for this vary, but a lack of space and funding are some of the most common problems educational institutions face. This is largely why, 62 per cent of primary schools currently have no designated library budget to buy books or employ a librarian.
‘Libraries need to be a focus, both within schools and in local areas,’ says Alison Palmer, partnerships manager at Give a Book and co-founder of Book Clubs in Schools. ‘Schools have been under pressure for the last few years to improve reading, but funding is often not available for reading for pleasure projects.’
School libraries are sanctuaries for children, particularly during lunchtime, but their dwindling numbers mean fewer students get the opportunity to read during the school day. Without adequate access to books on subjects outside of their curriculum, children cannot learn about the wider world or develop the habit of reading for pleasure. This dramatically hinders their literacy skills. Unsurprisingly, a study conducted by the National Literacy Trust found that 8-14-year-olds who read daily had higher average standardised reading scores than those who didn’t.
Cost of Books
If children are unable to access reading material at school, this places the responsibility of providing books solely in parents’ hands. However, this can become incredibly costly. If you’re a longtime bookworm, you’ve probably noticed how steeply the prices of paperbacks have risen in recent years. Not long ago, it felt like you could waltz into Waterstones and bag a book for £7. Now, the average price of a paperback in the UK is £12 (and that figure increases significantly if the book is by a popular author).
With so many other rising expenses eating away at parents’ income, from grocery inflation to spiralling rent costs, it is no wonder that fewer of them can afford to provide their children with a multitude of books. Perhaps this is why 1 in 10 5-8-year-olds and 1 in 11 8-18-year-olds reportedly didn’t own a single book in 2024, the lowest figure recorded since 2016. Without being able to read for pleasure at home, children will undoubtedly succumb to the temptation of other, far more addictive and accessible hobbies. From gaming to YouTube to social media, none of these pastimes will hone their literacy skills in the way reading does.
COVID Aftermath
COVID lockdowns undeniably affected children’s literacy levels. Suddenly, youngsters were confined to their bedrooms and unable to venture out to libraries or bookstores. Households who did not already have books of their own were stuck that way. Any children who were lucky enough to still receive regular schooling did so virtually. Lockdown deprived children of access to paperbacks, textbooks and other crucial classroom reading materials that would have aided their learning, and reading levels suffered as a result.
Written and verbal communication was also thwarted. Evidence shows us that social interaction is ‘essential for language development,’ particularly amongst younger children who use ‘peer talk’ to learn how to express their views and understand others. Social distancing and the cancellation of in-person classes cut children off from their friends and teachers, preventing them from exercising meaningful conversational skills to the same extent that they would have done under normal circumstances. Months of isolation stunted kids’ development and resulted in 1.5 million children struggling to understand language at an age-appropriate level. As Matt Whittaker, CEO of Pro Bono Economics says, the fact ’that so many children are reaching reception so far behind in basic reading and communication skills should raise alarm bells everywhere.’
The transition back to a classroom environment has been a particularly difficult one. Since the pandemic, numerous stories have emerged of young pupils being unable to effectively communicate with adults or each other. In one such article, a teacher recalled how one of the students in her class left primary school without being able to form basic sentences or request to go to the toilet. It’s a dismal thought, but without sufficient funding to help schools and parents tackle illiteracy, the case of the unfortunate student above may become increasingly common.
We were always heading towards a literacy crisis. The gradual closure of public libraries in England and the rise of digital distractions saw to that. But England’s COVID lockdowns undoubtedly sped up this process, preventing children from being able to access books or communicate face-to-face with others, creating the perfect storm for a worrying number of young children to fall behind their expected literacy levels.
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