Early reading progress in English primary schools surpasses international counterparts

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Early reading progress in English primary schools surpasses international counterparts Children in their first year of primary school in England make more progress in reading than those in Scotland, New Zealand and two parts of Australia, according to new research. The study by Durham University showed that children in schools in England start with the lowest reading scores compared to the other countries but they catch up with the others by the end of the reception year. By contrast, in mathematics, children in England started at a lower level but made only the same progress as in the other countries. The feasibility study is the first to assess what children know and can do when they start school using a nationally representative sample and objective data.