PIRLS | Schools Week

PIRLS 2021: England rises up rankings, and 8 more findings

England moves to fourth in world for reading, but caution urged over pandemic-hit study as enjoyment levels fall

Nick Gibb is wrong: PIRLS data does not support synthetic phonics

The schools minister is looking at the results of a major international reading test wrong, and his dogmatic insistence on teaching children to read with phonics is a sham, argues the NEU’s Kevin Courtney Overwhelmed by problems of teacher supply and faced with rising evidence of the effects of funding cuts, it’s understandable that Nick […]

PIRLS 2016: Well-stocked libraries don’t improve reading scores

A well-stocked school library has little impact on English pupils’ reading skills, according to an international literacy study. Year 5 pupils at schools with no school library achieved almost the same reading scores as those in schools with libraries containing over 5,000 books, according to the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). PIRLS […]

PIRLS 2016: England rises up the ranks in international reading measure

England has come eighth out of 50 countries in an international reading test – and the government says its reforms are behind the success. The 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) tested over 300,000 10-year-olds across the world. England’s move from joint tenth to joint eighth place has been welcomed by the government […]