The pleasure of getting lost in a good book could become unknown to many children as some teachers believe youngsters will be less likely to read in the future, a poll suggests.

More than half of school staff in the UK (57 per cent) think their pupils read for pleasure less often than they and their classmates did when they were children, it reveals.

Two-fifths predict that youngsters will read less in 10 years’ time than they do today.

The survey, commissioned by education firm Pearson and the Booktrust charity, questioned more than 500 teachers and librarians about pupils’ reading habits.

It found that just 18 per cent believe that youngsters read more than their generation did, with a fifth suggesting children will be more likely to pick up a book a decade from now than they are today.

There are also signs that parents are not encouraging the activity – almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of those polled said mothers and fathers are less involved in motivating children to read than they were 10 years ago.

Around one in four (24 per cent) said parents are more involved, while 12 per cent said there had been no change.

The poll, commissioned to mark the launch of the Read For My School competition in the UK, found that reading for pleasure plays a large part in everyday school life for many children.

Over two-fifths (43 per cent) of those surveyed said they set aside time in class every day for pupils to read and a further 26 per cent said they do so a few times a week.

One in four said they read stories to their class every day, with a further third (34 per cent) doing so a few times a week.

More than half (57 per cent) said they set reading as homework at least a few times a week.

The Read For My School competition challenges seven to 13-year-olds to read as many books as they can in two months. Last year, more than 3,600 schools took part, with around 212,000 youngsters reading a total of 876,000 books.

Peter Hughes of Pearson said: “Given all the benefits that are known to stem from a literate world, it is our responsibility as part of the education community to help schools in their invaluable work to ensure that reading is given more emphasis in children’s lives.”

He added: “Today, digital skills are increasingly important, as technology grows more sophisticated and more available.

“These advances create new and exciting opportunities to tackle literacy challenges, and we are excited by the role technology can play in encouraging children to read. That’s why Read For My School’s free online library of more than 150 books can be read on computers, tablets and other mobile devices, giving children multiple different ways to enjoy a great read.

“Research has shown that a child who reads frequently, and has the support of their parents, carers and teachers, is a child that will achieve their potential.”

The competition runs from today until March 20. As well as the free online library, pupils can read any book offline as long as it fits into one of eight categories including humour – last year’s most popular genre – real life and adventure.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.