Andreas Schleicher, director of education at the OECD, said reading was the “mother of all skills” and that the steep decline was a concern.
He said children’s ability to read complex texts had declined by the equivalent of “two school years” in the last decade.
Longer-term Pisa research suggested students who read longer books performed best, he added, as it helped them to learn to hold complex information in mind.
Schools like Meadow Park, in Coventry, are adopting a range of approaches to improve pupils’ reading skills, including weekly book club discussions led by tutors.
Year 10 pupil Ampaabeng said the sessions have had a “really positive impact” on his reading since they were brought in a year ago.
The school has also invested in a wider range of books in the library, where reading for pleasure at lunchtime is encouraged.
A mobile phone ban was introduced at the school two years ago to reduce distractions – an approach which is commended by the new report.
“In a digital age, it’s easier to pick up a phone than it is a book,” head teacher Bernadette Pettman said.
She said reading together had enabled the school to “break down that fear of reading” and that pupils had “absolutely embraced it”.
