Disadvantaged pupils read less, report suggests

Children from low income families in Jersey are less likely to read for pleasure than others, a new report has suggested.

The Open University spoke to about 4,500 young people aged seven to 14 about their reading habits and found 60% of them did not enjoy reading.

The report indicated 27.2% of children from more affluent backgrounds enjoyed reading, double the number of those from lower income homes where 13.4% read regularly.

The university made a series of recommendations for improvement including providing dedicated space and time for young people to read and investing in libraries where children could choose books which suited them.

The university's report said 40% of children of primary school age enjoyed or loved reading compared to 39% of older students.

The report said children's enjoyment of reading declined with age with fewer than 20% reading regularly in secondary school, compared to 73% reading at least several times per week in primary.

Comparing genders, the report found girls consistently enjoyed reading more, and did so more frequently than boys who were more likely to dislike reading, with about a quarter of secondary school boys reporting negative attitudes to books.

Looking at favourite books, children reported enjoying the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Man and Harry Potter.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.