Irish children hit reading 'slump' in secondary school

Younger Irish readers were often found by the study to have the highest Average Book Difficulty Level (ATOS) when compared to their counterparts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Younger Irish readers opt for more difficult books but hit a “slump” when it comes to more challenging reads once they reach secondary school, a new study suggests.

Including input from 35,000 Irish students, the latest ‘What Kids Are Reading’ report on the reading behaviours of more than one million students found younger Irish readers typically opt for books more than two years ahead of their age.