Reading is the gateway to learning. Pupils who struggle to read accurately quickly fall behind their peers. They then read less and do not accumulate the necessary background knowledge and vocabulary from reading. Pupils who cannot read well are not able to access the curriculum and are disadvantaged for life: 

• A quarter of students at 15 still have a reading age of 12 or below. 

• The overwhelming majority of students – four in five – will be less likely to have the literacy skills to access a GCSE curriculum at Year 7 

The link between good reading and good grades is actually higher in maths than in some arts subjects like English Literature and History.