Millions of children 'own no books'

One in three children in the UK do not own any books, it has been revealed.

Research carried out by the National Literacy Trust found that boys are less likely than girls to have any.

The study found that children who do not own their own books are two and a half times more likely to have a reading age that is lower than their actual age, compared to those who have access to novels at home.

"People tend to think that literacy is an international development issue, [but] actually we have got massive literacy problems in this country," said Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust.

He said the organisation was surprised at the number of children who do not have books.

"We know that book ownership in this country is really strongly linked to literacy issues and social mobility," Mr Douglas added.

Welsh school inspection body Estyn recently revealed that 40 per cent of schoolchildren in Wales begin secondary school with a reading age below their own age.


Posted by Dolcie Thacker

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