The Reality Our current education and exam system is heavily reliant on literacy. This means that successful learning and exam performance depend to a great degree on how well your child reads.

PISA Are students well prepared for future challenges? Can they analyse, reason and communicate effectively? Do they have the capacity to continue learning throughout life? The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) answers these questions and more, through its surveys of 15-year-olds in the principal industrialised countries. Every three years, it assesses how far students near the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills essential for full participation in society.

The Reality The PISA 2009 study of reading literacy showed a significant decline in the reading standards of Irish teenagers. Our rank fell from 5 th to 17 th.

The Reality 42% of Irish teenagers never read for enjoyment. 16% of Irish teenagers read for enjoyment for more than an hour a day.

The Reality Students who read for enjoyment had significantly higher scores in the PISA test than those who didn’t.

Our Primary schools have been pro-active in encouraging our children to develop good reading habits. In Coláiste Cholmcille we want our students to keep up those good reading habits. As teachers we encourage them to read widely, to use the library, to develop a wide vocabulary, to pursue their own reading interests, to read a variety of media, to develop their reading comprehension skills, vocabulary and so on. We appreciate your support for our work. It is well established that where parents are involved in their child’s reading there is far greater success.

What can you do to keep your child reading for enjoyment? Realise that ANYTHING your child reads builds reading skills, that includes comics, magazines, digital material, sports supplements, newspapers, even the back of the cereal box, it’s all of value. Join the library, you and your child. Have books, newspapers, magazines around the house. Let your child see you reading. Let your child choose what they want to read. Build on your child’s interests, look for websites, articles, magazines about your child’s favourite team, sport, TV programme or hobby. Find out what novel they are reading in class and read it yourself. Respect your child’s interest in reading.

If your child is struggling with reading: Keep doing whatever worked for your child in primary school, for example Paired Reading or reading games on the computer. Keep in touch with us and in particular with your child’s English teacher and/or Learning Support teacher. Ask us and/or your local library for some Hi-Low books, books of interest to teenagers with low reading ages. Access audio-books through your local library or download them online. Keep encouraging your child. Catch them reading and engage with them using simple questions, ‘Are you enjoying that?’ or ‘What’s that about?’

Your interest, involvement and support in keeping your child reading for enjoyment will help your child to achieve and succeed.

Books worth reading:

For up to date books reviews:

ment/brochure/meread/meread.pdf On boys and reading:

For books for reluctant or struggling readers:

A very comprehensive list of fiction suitable for Junior students – there's something here to suit every taste! (courtesy of St Columba’s College, Dublin)

“Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.” Mortimer Adler We can work together to give your children, our students, a love of reading.