The authors of a comprehensive study of children's reading standards have recommended an information campaign to explain to parents the importance of reading to their child and providing books in the home.
The study, the latest in a series of national Irish reading assessments, has found that poverty and low education standards in the home continue to impact greatly on a child's proficiency.
The National Assessment of English Reading tested around eight thousand first and fifth class students at schools around the country.
It found that standards are generally high and have not changed much since the last study carried out in 1998.
The study found that children from lone parent households or homes where no parent was employed had significantly lower scores in reading. It was a similar picture for children who were covered by the medical card scheme.
Children whose parents had limited educations also performed badly; as did the 4% of fifth class pupils who said they spent more than five hours a day watching TV.
Approximately 15% of children from designated disadvantaged schools got significantly lower scores.
The study found that children who are read to before starting school perform better than average. So too do children who have access to books and encyclopedias in the home.
The study also found that children who were younger than the average age for their class obtained a below average score.
Inside the classroom it found that first year pupils who are taught by temporary or inexperienced teachers fare less well.
However it found that, compared to fifth year pupils, first classes were twice as likely to be taught by temporary or unqualified teachers.
It has also emerged that almost half of learning support teachers have not completed a recognised one-year course in remedial education.
As in previous tests, girls obtained significantly higher average overall reading scores than boys.
Feeds