Why Reading matters so much at the Becklands

Nothing is more important in education than ensuring that every child can read well. Children who can read are overwhelmingly more likely to succeed at school, achieve good qualifications, and subsequently enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career. Those who cannot will find themselves at constant disadvantage.

The gap – between those with a firm grasp of literacy and those without – is established early in a child’s education and widens over time.

Poor literacy can hold people back throughout their adult lives. Adults with good literacy skills (the equivalent of a good English Language GCSE or better) are much more likely to be in work than those with lower levels of literacy: 83% compared to 55%. Data from the recent OECD Survey of Adult Skills show that unemployed adults are twice as likely to have weak literacy skills as those in full-time employment. Better literacy skills are also associated with higher earnings. The same survey found a 14% rise in wages associated with an increase of one standard deviation in literacy proficiency in England.

Literacy skills are not just important for people’s employment and economic prospects; they also have a strong impact on wider social outcomes. For example, adults in England with low literacy levels have twice the odds of reporting low levels of trust as their peers with high literacy, and three times the odds of reporting poor health.

In addition to its substantial practical benefits, reading is one of life’s profound joys. Every child should have the opportunity to experience the pleasure and enrichment which comes from reading a great novel, biography or play. The canon of English literature – from Christopher Marlowe to Ian McEwan – belongs to every English speaker, whatever their background and no matter where they live.