Children's reading improved in lockdown, study finds

Children’s reading skills improved over lockdown with many children picking up longer books of greater difficulty though overall number of books read dropped by 17%, a large-scale study has found.

The annual ‘What Kids Are Reading’ report from learning and assessment provider Renaissance Learning found children reading during the pandemic saw both an improvement in their reading skills and a marked uplift in reading enjoyment levels.

According to the study of more than 1.1million pupils across the UK and Ireland, while the number of books read overall dropped by 17% compared to the previous year, during school closures reading levels increased. And when they read, children were inclined to pick up more challenging books for their age. The books they chose were longer and read with better comprehension. Primary school children and those up to Year 7 in particular improved on their reading levels by reading more demanding texts.

The report also features insights from a National Literacy Trust (NLT) 'Annual Literacy Survey' survey of 4,141 pupils which found that reading for pleasure dipped at the beginning of 2020, and recorded its lowest level of self-reported reading enjoyment since 2005 (48% of children).

However, the first lockdown also signalled a marked change in this downward trend. During school closures many more pupils began to enjoy reading again with 56% of young people saying they enjoyed reading either very much (24%) or quite a lot (32%). When it comes to reading choices during Covid-19, almost seven in 10 children said they had read more fiction either on paper or on-screen during lockdown, with most turning to adventure stories, which was by far the most popular fiction genre.

During the first lockdown One of Us is Lying (Penguin Random House) by Karen McManus and Harry Potter and J K Rowling’s The Prisoner of Azkaban topped the leader boards of the favourite books for secondary and primary school pupils respectively. David Walliams and Julia Donaldson became even more popular while Roald Dahl sustained his popularity. Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games series showed an increase in popularity. while Jeff Kinney declined in popularity and “Roderick Hunt almost disappeared altogether,” according to the report’s authors.

The research was written up using Renaissance data analysed by University of Dundee academic Professor Keith Topping. He said: “During the lockdown overall, pupils were tending to read longer books of greater difficulty and with greater comprehension. Having more time to read gave children the chance to immerse themselves in literature and schools should encourage more reading time now that they are open again.

“It is great to see that primary age children are reading more difficult books and this should be reflected at secondary school age where book difficulty this year plateaued. Secondary schools need to encourage their pupils to attack more difficult books.”

Renaissance director John Moore said: “Lockdown has been difficult for many children, especially when schools were closed and they could not access school libraries or see their friends. At Renaissance we took steps to support teachers during the uncertainty of school closures, so it is pleasing to see this year’s report emphasise the importance and benefit of reading on academic achievement and wellbeing.

“Knowing that reading really helped younger children to feel better throughout the pandemic is very encouraging. It’s promising to see that when pupils had a choice of books to hand many chose a more challenging book, and one that perhaps allows for more escapism.

Dr Christina Clark, head of research at the NLT, said: “Our research into reading enjoyment indicates that having more time to read and the increased autonomy of book choice, along with the opportunity to read for its own sake, were key reasons why more young people are enjoying being immersed in stories. Half of the children agreed that at such a time as the lockdown, reading improved their wellbeing and encouraged them to dream about the future, offering a refuge for a source of calm, escapism and relaxation. Schools should be encouraging pupils to read to entertain a variety of purposes not just for learning but for their wellbeing too.”

A copy of the full report can be found here.

Previously released research from World Book Day and leading literacy charities has suggested a boom in 2020 children's reading but a subsequent dip in 2021.