The study analysed the results of maths, vocabulary and spelling tests sat by 6,000 children born in the same week at the ages of five, ten and 16, from the 1970 British Cohort Study.
Children who were read to regularly at the age of five by their parents performed better in all three tests at the age of 16 than those who were not helped in this way.
Study co-author Dr Alice Sullivan said, ‘It may seem surprising that reading for pleasure would help to improve children’s maths scores, but it is likely that strong reading ability will enable children to absorb and understand new information and affect their attainment in all subjects.’
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