As reported by the Guardian, a growing focus on academic achievement is overshadowing the joy of reading for children, according to children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who has urged the government to rethink how young people engage with books
Giving evidence to MPs on the Education Committee, the writer said conversations about children’s reading are too often centred on attainment and testing, rather than helping pupils develop a genuine enjoyment of reading.
His intervention comes amid a continued decline in reading for pleasure across the UK. Figures from the National Literacy Trust show that only one in three children and teenagers aged eight to 18 now enjoy reading in their spare time — down 36% since 2005.
Cottrell-Boyce warned that an excessive emphasis on the mechanics of learning to read can discourage children from engaging with books more broadly.
He called for greater investment in early years support and encouraged more focus on reading at home and in nurseries, particularly for parents and childcare workers who may feel uncertain about reading aloud because of their own experiences.
The author also linked the decline to wider social and economic pressures, including increased screen time, poverty, austerity and the impact of Covid. He argued that unstable living conditions and deprivation can make simple routines such as bedtime stories harder for families to maintain.
Despite the downward trend, Cottrell-Boyce said he believed children’s relationship with reading could be rebuilt if enjoyment and curiosity were placed at the centre of reading culture.
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