Fact: Up to 40% of new recruits into the British Armed Forces have a reading age of 11 years old.
The armed forces recently published details of a report into the academic levels of their personnel, in which this and other statistics were revealed.
38% fail a mathematics test for children aged 12.
Many new recruits are aged 16 or 17, having dropped out of school in order to join up. The minimum entry requirement for new recruits is “entry level 2”, which is the equivalent to the standard expected of a seven- or eight-year-old in literacy and numeracy.
However, the army is committed to providing continuing education for the troops. The Ministry of Defense released a statement in the wake of this report, saying:
“The services are amongst the largest training providers in the UK, with excellent completion and achievement rates, and the quality of our training and education is highly respected. With support for education ranging from entry level literacy and numeracy to full postgraduate degrees, service personnel are offered genuine progression routes which allow them to develop, gain qualifications and play a fuller part in society either in the armed forces or in the civilian world.”
Find out more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23346693
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Sarah Forrest is a Reading Specialist for the Easyread System, an course for children who need support for spelling or reading problems. Easyread can provide dyslexia help, support for auditory processing disorder, and advice for teaching highly visual learners how to read and spell.
