The attention span of modern pupils is so limited that the majority of schoolboys switch off by the 100th page of a book, and some boys can barely make it past the first few pages according to new research published today.

Teachers also revealed that some of the classic authors that they are expected to teach, such as Jane Austen, were putting boys off reading even more.

The research, carried out to mark the launch of Heroes, a new, original series of thrilling stories in boys’ favourite genres, reignites the debate about the gender divide in the nation’s classrooms.  There has been a persistent gap between the attainment of boys and girls in English for more than 10 years.

Of the 500 secondary school English teachers questioned as part of the Heroes research, the majority said more than half of the Key Stage 3 pupils they teach were “reluctant readers”. Sixty per cent of these were boys.

Teachers identified points where boys would simply switch off in class when novels were being read.  A quarter of teachers said that the interest ‘cut off’ point can happen as soon as the first few pages of a book or text – rising to 40% of teachers in the North West (the highest nationally).  A further 22% of teachers said interest wanes within the first 50 pages, and 24% said it happens at around 100 pages.  This suggests that by the time the 100 page mark is reached, 70% of English teachers have noticed boys switching off when reading a book. 

The Heroes series of books is designed to help boys switch back on to reading and at the same time get them past this 100 page hurdle with stories based on adventures, crime, horror and villains.  The shortest book in the current series runs to just 128 pages.  This includes an original piece of fiction boys will love together with a true story at the end of each text that helps set the fiction in a real-world context for ultimate engagement.

Nearly a third of English teachers questioned as part of the research said boys lost interest before the reading even began in class if they spotted that the book to be studied was longer than 200 pages.  As a result, long novels are being forced off the English literature curriculum because of teachers’ fears that male pupils will never finish them.  Some 43 per cent of the teachers questioned avoided longer books, even if they preferred them to shorter texts, because of the ‘drop-off’ rate amongst boys. 
                  
Boys themselves admitted to being put off by long books. In the same research study, commissioned to mark the launch of the Heroes series being published by Pearson, more than 200 boys were questioned on their reading habits, and one in five admitted that they preferred shorter books. The same proportion said they thought reading was “for girls”.  

The research also found that teachers believed that team-based competition has a role to play in getting boys to enjoy reading. More than half (54%) of English teachers think it would help to re-engage reluctant boy readers.  Six in ten teachers believe quizzes and rewards-points would have the biggest positive impact and 44% believe that drama and kinaesthetic learning would help. 

The award-winning screen writer and children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce has teamed up with leading educational publisher Pearson to be consultant editor of the new Heroes series which consists of eight short, accessible fiction novels and plays filled with captivating content in an appropriate length to sustain the interest of reluctant readers.  The series is being introduced into schools from next month (June) and will be updated with a further six titles in June 2012.

Frank Cottrell Boyce says: “According to UNESCO the biggest single indicator of whether a child is going to thrive at school and in work is whether or not they read for pleasure.  Pleasure can’t be taught.  Pleasure can only be shared.  When my Dad took me down the park, with a flyway, he did not say, ‘Right, son, I’m going to teach you some basic ball skills, work on general fitness and spatial awareness and if you’re really good, then in a few years' time, we’ll have a game of footie.’ No, he played with me.  The fact that he was having fun too was really important. Our hope is that the stories in Heroes will be shared and enjoyed in the classroom by pupil and teacher alike.  Because pleasure is the most powerful motivation.”

The research reveals that teachers fear some classic authors - recommended in the national curriculum - are turning boys off reading even more.  More than half of all English teachers think classic ‘recommended authors’ do more to disengage than engage reluctant boy readers.  Among those who believe classic authors can be more of a hindrance, Jane Austen was most frequently cited as a negative example (and seen as low interest to boys). English teachers who believe classic authors can be a help cited Charles Dickens most frequently as a positive example. 

The Heroes research asked KS3 boys if they had read a book this year they had disliked to try to isolate the authors that may disengage reluctant readers.  Of those who disliked a classic book/author, one in five boys cited a Shakespeare play (including The Tempest, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream).  Other more modern books cited as not being enjoyable included Steinbeck’s 1930s classic Of Mice and Men and David Almond’s Skellig. 

English as a favourite subject languishes in rankings:  Given many more girls now take English A-levels than boys , the research tried to understand how popular English is as a subject for boys at secondary level.   The findings of the Heroes research reveal that English as a favourite subject languishes in rankings.  In fact, it discovered that English is currently less popular that subjects like Design & Technology, which incorporates cooking, science and maths.  English fell into sixth spot, behind more popular subjects such as Maths, Science, PE, Design & Technology and ICT.  Just 9% of KS3 boys said that English was their favourite subject at school.

 
Esmonde Banks, an English teacher at Queensbridge School, in Birmingham, knew HEROES was making a difference with his class of reluctant readers when 100 per cent of pupils handed in their homework - something which had never happened before.  The group had been reading Ghost Game, one of the six books and two plays in the HEROES series, and were set the task of writing their own sequel to the horror story.
"The boys really went for it," said Mr Banks, "they were all desperate to tell me what their ideas were and what happened to the characters. I got 100 per cent of homework in, which I'd never got before."

Queensbridge, like thousands of schools across the country, is trying to tackle the gender gap in English. Girls outperform boys at the comprehensive at each Key Stage.   "Girls are easier to inspire, have better quality writing and better results," said Mr Banks. "I think some of it is the old idea of boys not seeing reading and learning in that sense as something that is cool or hip or something they want their friends seeing them involved with. Girls don't have that problem."

But since trialling two of the books in the HEROES series, the 38-year-old who has been teaching for 14 years, has begun to see real progress. The "boy-friendly" content of the books and the element of competition that is at the heart of the new resource are crucial elements in that progress.  "The horror theme of Ghost Game was immediately appealing - they all liked the content of the book," he said. "And even the boys began to open up and admit that they were affected by different events in the story and the loss of the main character's mother and brother. That gripped them."

Each novel and play in the Heroes series is supported by its own ActiveTeach CD-ROM containing a bank of resources including images, quizzes, videos and interactive activities; imaginative scenarios which boys will love, motivating them to stay switched on.  To complement the books, teachers will be provided with lesson ideas based on competition, discussion and drama – teaching strategies that are known to get reluctant boys involved and focused. 

Jacob Pienaar, Director UK Schools and Colleges at Pearson said: “The Heroes series will really appeal to pupils who, at the moment, are turned off by reading for some reason or another.  Our pilot study has shown that the books and plays we have selected with Frank Cottrell Boyce get them excited and interested in reading again which should in turn help them to achieve their true potential in English.  There’s nothing out there at the moment that goes this far to make not just the stories exciting for reluctant readers, but also the whole teaching and learning experience.”

For more information please log on to www.pearsonschools.co.uk/HEROES

- Ends -

Note to Editors
1. Facts sheets available on:

• Gender gap in English – facts and figures
• Summary of the six books, two plays & authors chosen to be part of this year’s Heroes series (& jpegs of covers)
• The Heroes series

2. Background: Heroes

• The Heroes series features epic stories of villains, crime, and adventure that are dark, daring and heroic.  The series consists of eight completely new and original works in boys’ favourite genres written by boys’ favourite authors.
• It consists of short, accessible original novels and plays perfect for whole-class readers in KS3 (age 11-14 years).
• The series includes six novels and two plays available from June 2011.  It weaves captivating fiction with state of the art digital teaching resources to inspire even the most reluctant reader.  Plus, given boys thrive on facts and real life events, each book includes a non-fiction story at the end.
• Heroes has been trialled and tested in schools around the country to ensure the language level is just right; the content captivating and the length of the books appropriate to sustain the interest of reluctant readers and help teachers deliver the whole text in six weeks.