Cambridge (UK), January 2011 - Nine percent of boys in England reach the age of eleven with, at best, the reading skills of an average seven year old. This figure equates to over 18,000 boys with seriously substandard literacy. This shocking statistic, obtained by the BBC's Today programme, also revealed that in some areas, such as Nottingham, Derby, Manchester, Rotherham, and Telford the figure was closer to fifteen percent.
Dylan William, professor at the Institute of Education, said it could be very hard for children struggling with their reading to catch up and that it had never been more important to be able to read at a decent standard. He explains further, "Twenty years ago, you got a lot of information from television. Now it's the internet - you have to be more literate."
Mike Welsh, of the National Association of Head Teachers, says, "Many primary head teachers, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities under social-economic challenge, regard the raising of boys' attainment, particularly in writing and reading, as one of their highest priorities."
The children's website 'FooTee' uses football themed games and content to engage educationally with boys between the ages of seven and fourteen. The FA supported site has a strong focus on developing literacy skills and covers all core parts of the National Curriculum Key Stage 2.
Managing Director of FooTee.com Phil Clegg comments, "These disturbing figures are not a surprise to us. One of the key reasons we have created the website is to motivate young boys from all backgrounds to develop their reading skills. Our site features hundreds of exciting games that reinforce and enhance school learning in this critical area."
The site was developed by MotivatEd and has established itself as one the leading educational social media sites for children, gaining over 100,000 registered users since its October 2009 launch and receiving over seven million page impressions per month.
