Research Identifies Reading Comprehension Decline Without Regular Storytime

• Regularly reading/listening to stories for pleasure improves reading comprehension by double expected rate (10.2 months).
• Study finds removing regular storytime reduces progress to half expected rate (2.6 months)
• Egmont calls for curriculum to be changed and storytime made an intrinsic part of every primary school day following study findings at Stoke on Trent school.
• Research shows being read to every day is the single most effective way to encourage children to read for pleasure. [i]
• UK Government states nothing is more important in education than ensuring every child can read well, and the best way to achieve this is to instill a passion for reading for pleasure[ii]

However, daily storytime is not part of the statutory curriculum

• The language of the curriculum reveals a mistaken belief that a love of reading can be taught. Pleasure can’t be taught, as if it were a subject. However, pleasure in reading can be shared.
• 40% of 6-11s read for pleasure daily/nearly every day [iii] 
• Only 25% of 6-11s are read to daily/nearly every day at home [iv]

The UK’s largest children’s specialist publisher, Egmont has called for daily storytime to be made a statutory part of the school curriculum for key stage 1 & 2. Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, put forward an Early Day Motion on 24 February 2020 to support Egmont’s ambition:

“That this House recognises the significant impact of reading for pleasure in improving a child’s educational attainment and life chances; notes that children who read for pleasure daily or nearly every day are a year ahead in reading performance compared those who never do; notes with concern that child literacy rates are falling year on year; believes an improvement in literacy rates will help close the attainment gap; further notes that not all schools have libraries; recognises that 10 to 16 year olds make four time as much progress in vocabulary, maths and spelling if they read for pleasure than if their parents have a degree; further recognises that the UK has one of the lowest rankings for teenage literacy in OECD countries; highlights that reading to children, with no formal teaching agenda, is the most effective way to encourage them to read for pleasure independently; and calls on the Government to support teachers to include opportunities for non-tested story time as an intrinsic part of every school day”

The move comes as a result of a research project at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, a primary school in Goldenhill, Stoke on Trent.  Research focused on what would happen if children aged 7-11 (key stage 2) experience storytime regularly, with no testing, measuring, or formal learning agenda. The project ran during the autumn term 2018.

READING COMPREHENSION INCREASED RAPIDLY DURING THE PROJECT, SLOWING SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER REGULAR STORYTIME CEASED

Over a five month period comprehension increased by an average of 10.2 months[v], double the normal expectation in that time frame and an extraordinary outcome. In particular, significant progress was made by year 3, where children’s comprehension increased by an average of 16 months. Some children progressed by more than two years. Children were motivated and inspired to read independently, for pleasure, more often and to try out different authors and widen their repertoire. There was a significantly greater level of excitement around books, magazines and reading. Storytime gave both students and staff time to relax and a better sense of wellbeing.

Reading comprehension progress was re-examined five months after the project ended. Comprehension had slowed significantly, with progress dropping to 2.6 months[vi] on average over a five month period.     

Alison David, Consumer Insight Director, Egmont Publishing and author of Help Your Child Love Reading, said: “Regular storytime is powerful. Include it in the school day and reading comprehension increases rapidly. Take it away and progress in reading comprehension decreases.”

WHY IS READING FOR PLEASURE IMPORTANT?

Children who read for pleasure do better in life: in attainment, social mobility and emotional well-being. Research shows that if all pupils read for pleasure daily, 75% of year 6 would achieve the level that predicts 5 or more GCSE passes (currently 67%) [vii].  Reading for pleasure has a four-times-greater impact on academic success than a parent having a degree [viii]. Children who think positively about reading are significantly less likely to report mental health problems[ix]

Although reading aloud is an effective way to encourage children to independently read for pleasure, reading in the home environment is in decline.  Only 25% of 6-11s are read to daily at home [x] It’s uncommon for children in Key Stage 2 to be read to every day at school.  Just 19% of parents of 6-11 year olds think their child is read to daily at school, just for fun[xi] .

CHANGE THE CURRICULUM

Egmont Publishing is calling for the government to free up the curriculum, to make space and time for daily storytime and ring-fence it by making it statutory in the primary school curriculum. Egmont is asking supporters to sign their petition, write to their MP and join the online conversation and tweet using #statutorystorytime.

Alison David, Consumer Insight Director, Egmont Publishing and author of Help Your Child Love Reading, said: “We would not dream of allowing children to go through the school day with no lunch break – it should be the same for storytime. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the data from this study is clear: by uncoupling reading from lessons, by having storytime instead of teaching literacy, reading attainment naturally improves”.

Cally Poplak, Managing Director, Egmont publishing added “The funding challenges facing the education system are well documented, as are the challenges with children’s reading.  Storytime is such an easy, low cost solution to these challenges, with immensely powerful results.  It’s hard to see why it would not be made statutory”.

David Reedy, literacy expert and author, commented: “This research finding is very important and should be considered carefully by policy makers. Teachers who do not read regularly to their pupils tell me that it is very difficult to find the time with the current National Curriculum packed tight and the pressure from statutory testing. Time must be made for reading aloud, preferably every day, because of the clear benefits as demonstrated by this research. If this means some slimming down of the less important content of the current National Curriculum in English, such as much of the grammar strand, then it must be done as quickly as possible. Every child has a right to be read to every day.”

Michael Morpurgo, bestselling children’s author, said: “It is vital that children, young people and all of us have access to stories which give us the knowledge, empathy and understanding we need to negotiate life. But just as importantly, we need to give children and their teachers and parents time to read.”