Commenting on the Education Committee report Reading for Pleasure, published today, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“This report highlights the crucial work teachers and schools do to develop a love of reading from early years upwards
“It rightly identifies that competing curriculum demands are a major factor in the long-term decline in reading for pleasure among children, alongside rising poverty and lack of access to libraries.
“Increased school funding is needed so that the true potential of school libraries can be unleashed. These vital resources need up-to-date, diverse, high-quality books and professionally trained staff, rather than relying on overstretched teachers or volunteers.
“The current focus on reading proficiency over pleasure, combined with an overloaded curriculum and heavy focus on assessment, crowds out opportunities to show children the joy of reading.
“To rebalance this focus, SATs must be ended and the proposed Year 8 reading test - which will worsen the issues the report highlights - must be stopped in its tracks. Only then will we see a system that focusses on engagement, identity and enjoyment – as the report calls for.
“However, without urgent action on school funding, pay and teacher workload these recommendations will have a limited impact and we will miss a golden opportunity to support a generation to develop a life-long love of reading.”