read 10 mins a day

Number ofbooks Months aheador behind12.2 monthsbehind0-10

11-2526-100101-200201-500500+

DO BOOKS AT HOME HELP?

Source:Readon.Geton.report

-40%-20%0%20%40%60%80%100%

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WHAT KIDS READ% change 2010-2013

MUMS V DADSDifference in reading skills age 11Frequency Readingwith mum Readingwith dad

DailySeveral timesa weekOnce or twicea weekOnce or twicea monthLess often thanonce a month

Not at all

0-0.4-1.9-1.5-6.1-7.3

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-13.5

THE LITERACY GAP

Sourc e: National

Country ScoreCzech RepublicItalyEstoniaFrancePolandSpainAustriaDenmarkFinlandIrelandUSAGermanySlovak RepublicNetherlandsSwedenN. IrelandEngland

1014141619202122232425262627283030

Years1.4222.32.72.833.13.33.53.63.73.73.944.24.2

4.7 monthsbehind0 monthsbehind5.2 monthsahead

8.9 monthsahead13 monthsahead

England has one of the biggest gaps in literacybetween employed & unemployed adults. Thebigger the “score”, the bigger the number of

years’ education needed to catch up.

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45% £43bn 7yrs £10kof low-income white boysdon’t read well aged 11

Cost to UK economy ofkids' illiteracy by 2025

Extra schooling gap betweenbest and worst 10-year-olds

A quarter of people who earnthis are “functionally illiterate”. . .

HERE’S how to encourage your kids to read forten minutes a day. Read to them, read withthem or let them read on their own.

QA LITTLE reading every day is better thanless frequent, longer reading. Kids who read

for a few minutes daily improve more.

QBOOKS and stories are important, but read-ing anything counts.

QLET your child choose their own reading —it is more likely they will enjoy it.

QTRY to integrate reading into everyday life,on the bus or watching TV.

The demon reader. . . comic and kids’

author DavidWalliams, who is

backing campaign

By SHARON HENDRY, LUKEHEIGHTON and RHODRI PHILLIPS

READING for just ten min-utes a day can massivelyimprove children’s literacy —and today The Sun launches acampaign to help achieve it.A Save the Children-ledreport reveals we have one ofthe biggest problems in Europeand face a future in which onein six adults cannot read atstandards set for 11-year-olds.The cost to the economy iscurrently an estimated £18billion ayear. By 2025 that could well haverisen to an annual £43billion.The Sun campaign wants you toencourage your child to read for tenminutes a day — books, websites,almost anything.To help, we will give away nineebooks over the next two monthsand in Saturday’s Sun we will printthe first of a series of stories fromtop authors and celebrities for yourchild to read.X Factor judge and Little Britainstar David Walliams, a supporter ofSave the Children, is one of thosejoining forces with The Sun.He said: “This country is fallingbehind in literacy levels so it’s soimportant for children to get help.“Reading shouldn’t be a chore. It’sa lovely connection you can havewith your children, both painting thepicture in your heads.”He will kick off a series of talesyou and your children can readtogether written by stars in The Sun.We are taking action as the ReadOn. Get On. coalition of groups, com-munities and schools launch anational mission.It is aimed at ensuring 1.5millionkids are not left behind over the nextdecade — with every child born thisyear reading well by the time theyare 11 in 2025.A Read On. Get On. report How

Reading Can Help Children EscapePoverty is published today.

It shows one in four 11-year-olds inEngland is unable to read well —defined as not only being able to readwords but to have a wider understand-ing of the meaning behind them andbe able to comment on them.The report says our kids are theworst readers in Europe bar Roma-nia. And we lag behind Bulgaria,Slovak Republic and Lithuania forreading inequality — the gap betweenthe best and worst readers at ten.The 49-page study highlights thelinks between poverty and poor read-ing, and how a circle of misery iscompleted when children who cannotread well become adults and canfind only low-paid jobs.From 2005 to 2013, 40 per cent ofchildren on free school meals wereunable to read well.Poor white boys were less likely toread well than boys from similarbackgrounds who speak English as asecond language, and 45 per cent oflow-income white boys were unableto read well by age 11.The gap between the best andworst ten-year-old readers was equalto seven years extra schooling.A quarter of people who earn lessthan £10,000 a year were not “func-tionally literate” — compared withfewer than one in 25 for those earn-ing more than £30,000. Meanwhile

half of prison inmates had a readingage of less than 11.The study also found that readingdaily to a five-year-old means thatchild will be almost half a yearahead in their reading compared to achild read to less than once a week.And children read to regularly bytheir fathers are far less likely to fallbehind. Other members of the coali-tion are Newcastle University, Nat-

ional Literacy Trust, Teach First,booktrust, the National Associationof Head Teachers, HarperCollins, Cen-tre Forum, Beanstalk, Achievementfor All, I CAN, The Publishers Associ-ation and The Reading Agency.Education Secretary Nicky Morgansaid: “I wholeheartedly endorse thiscampaign. Eradicating illiteracy andinnumeracy is central to our plan foreducation. That plan is working. How-

ever we know there is more to do.”With The Sun joining in, former SAShero and writer Andy McNab will talkabout his role as an ambassador foradult literacy campaign Six BookChallenge.And in coming weeks we will besending The Sun Book Bus to yourcommunity.Save The Children boss JustinForsyth said: “We want every child tobe given a fair and equal chance tolearn to read well. We applaud TheSun for getting behind this campaign,

and look forward to working with itsreaders to restore literacy to its right-ful levels in the UK.”National Association of Head Teach-ers chief Russell Hobby added: “Thisnew campaign has the potential tomake a real difference to the lives ofBritain’s youngest readers.”The Book Trust’s Viv Bird said: “Get-ting parents involved is crucial.“All the evidence shows that what-ever their background, young childrenwhose parents read to them regularlyperform better at school in reading,

writing and even in maths. The morethey are read to, the deeper and longer-lasting the effects.”National Literacy Trust directorJonathan Douglas added: “This is agame-changing moment for literacy.“We hope everyone will play theirpart to energise our campaign and giveevery child leaving school in 2025 thevital skills they need to reach theirfull potential in life.”

sharon.hendry@the-sun.co.ukThe Sun Says — Page Six

63%63%would ratherwould rather

play on a computerplay on a computerthan readthan read

63%would rather

play on a computerthan read

12%12%of children don’tof children don’tthink reading isthink reading is

importantimportant

12%of children don’tthink reading is

important

By LUKE HEIGHTON

THREE-QUARTERS of children say theywould like to read more with their parents.It was one of the stats to emerge from aSun survey showing one in five parents neverread to their kids before they go to bed —despite it being a way to boost brainpower.Eight out of ten mums and dads said theydo read a bedtime story to theirchildren — but of those, one infive did so just once a week.As well as 73 per centwanting to read more withparents, two-thirds saidthey would like to readmore generally.The same number saidthey would rather play ona computer game or tabletthan read a book.The poll of 2,000 youngsters

was conducted exclusively byThe Sun and ITV’s GoodMorning Britain with OnePoll.It found 12 per cent ofkids do not think readingwell is important for theirfuture, while 18 per centsaid they do not enjoy it.Jean Gross CBE is theGovernment’s former Com-munications Champion forchildren and an adviser on TheSun’s Literacy Campaign.She said: “The results of the survey don’t

surprise me. But I think it is absolutely fantas-tic that three-quarters of children want toread more and we should listen to that andwe must do it. It’s getting them interested inreading which is important.”

GIVE USSTORIESSAY 73%

WHAT YOUNEED TO DO

BACK our campaign and tell us your reading experiences. Email features@the-sun.co.uk or tweet #ReadOnGetOn #GetKidsReading

8 Monday, September 8, 2014 2G