Children in England ranked fourth globally for reading

Primary schoolhouse children successful England person ranked 4th successful the planetary rankings for reading.

The latest results successful the Progress successful International Reading Literacy Study - known arsenic Pirls - saw England's fertile leap from eighth to participate the apical five.

Based connected tests taken each 5 years, the survey places countries successful a planetary acquisition league table.

The Pirls tests are taken by 9 and 10-year-olds, usually Year 5 pupils successful England, astatine the extremity of the schoolhouse year.

The 2021 investigating circular assessed astir 400,000 pupils successful 57 countries.

But 14 of those - including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - delayed investigating to the commencement of the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth due to the fact that of disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.

This meant they were not included successful the main rankings array due to the fact that the children being tested were older than others successful the study.

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), which runs the study, decided to see England successful the array - adjacent though it pushed backmost investigating until 2022 to debar that disruption - due to the fact that it tested the aforesaid property radical arsenic the different countries.

Singapore scored the highest result, with an mean people of 587.

Second was Hong Kong with an mean people of 573, followed by Russia (567) and England (558).

Wales and Scotland bash not taxable results to Pirls but Scotland is acceptable to articulation the adjacent cycle.

Schools curate Nick Gibb said England's occurrence was aided by authorities reforms, including a absorption connected phonics, which teaches children to work utilizing sounds, and to teachers "putting speechmaking astatine the bosom of everything they do".

Geoff Barton, wide caput of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the "excellent results" were "a severely needed portion of bully quality for an acquisition strategy that feels beleaguered".

He said the occurrence was testament to the "hard work, accomplishment and dedication of superior schoolhouse teachers and leaders".

Overall, girls were up of boys successful their speechmaking accomplishment successful astir each of the ranked countries, but the sex spread has narrowed successful the astir caller investigating round.

The affirmative Pirls results came days aft a Year 6 Sats speechmaking paper, which immoderate parents said was so hard it near children successful tears.

Mr Gibb said the assessments had to "test a scope of ability", but said helium would look astatine the insubstantial due to the fact that of the concerns.

Last year's Sats results showed overall standards successful reading, penning and maths had slipped among Year 6 pupils successful England since the pandemic - though idiosyncratic taxable results showed speechmaking levels accrued somewhat with 74% of pupils gathering the expected standard, up from 73% successful 2019.

By 2030, the authorities wants 90% of children leaving superior schoolhouse to scope the expected standards successful reading, penning and maths.