Northern Ireland

High levels of reading literacy among primary school pupils in Northern Ireland

By Suzanne McGonagle Education Reporter

ALMOST a quarter of primary school pupils in Northern Ireland demonstrate advanced reading skills, according to a new international study.

The survey of pupil achievement in reading shows that young people aged 9 -10 in Northern Ireland are amongst the best readers in the world.

Data from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) reveals that children from the north significantly outperformed those in 52 of the 56 participating countries.

Only young people in the Republic and Singapore performed better than local pupils in the major international study.

Girls continue to outperform boys in Northern Ireland, which was a similar pattern found in almost every nation which participated in PIRLS.

Additionally, pupils eligible for free school meals in the north were more likely to have lower reading literacy than their peers from a more advantaged background, which the study says highlights the "real need to eradicate the link between socio-economic disadvantage and attainment".  

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The PIRLS study was carried out for the Department of Education by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Mark Browne, permanent secretary at the department of education, said: “The PIRLS report highlights that our primary school pupils continue to perform strongly in reading in 2021, and that our overall reading score has increased significantly compared to 2011 when our pupils first took part in PIRLS. 

“I am very pleased to note that almost a quarter of our pupils reached the advanced international benchmark.

"This was the third highest percentage internationally.

"I pay credit to all those primary school teachers and principals who worked so hard to make this happen.

"It is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the strength of the primary curriculum and the high levels of attainment achieved by pupils in our primary schools.”

Dr Browne added: “The study also reveals parents in Northern Ireland reported one of the highest percentages of pupils that were often exposed to early literacy activities.

"This was much higher than the international average and highlights the crucial role parents and guardians play in helping to develop their children from an early age.”