Progress In International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

28 November 2007

Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said:

“Those eager to bash schools as a result of this report should reflect on what is being demanded of them. Books should be at the centre of our culture yet an obsession with computer games is depriving many children from accessing the limitless opportunities created by reading.

“A bookless house is a massive disadvantage for a child learning to read. Likewise our prescribed and overloaded curriculum and testing system is sapping young people’s enthusiasm of reading for pleasure.

“Comprehension and understanding the written word should be at the heart of literacy. The literacy strategy has boosted the achievement of many of the lowest achieving children. Nevertheless the message must be that we must find a smarter way of combining the mechanics of reading with a love of literature.