Children read longer books of greater difficulty during lockdown periods last year, and reported that reading made them feel better while isolated from the wider world, according to this report by Renaissance Learning.
The report, which studies the reading habits of more than one million pupils in the UK and Ireland, found that while the number of books read overall dropped 17% in the year to July 2020, compared with the previous year, children read more during lockdowns and school closures.
The data showed that the books read during lockdowns were more challenging, with primary school children and those in year seven reading more demanding texts in particular.
The 25% of pupils who carried on using Accelerated Reader (AR) during the first lockdown read fewer books but longer books of greater difficulty and with greater comprehension.
While for the whole year less than half of children said that they enjoyed reading, continuing the decline from a peak of 59% in 2016, during lockdown levels of reading enjoyment improved. However, during lockdown more girls than boys said that they enjoyed reading. Many children said having more time to read enabled them to enjoy reading more. Another reason pupils might have turned to reading was to further their mental wellbeing.