A fifth of all children in England lack the necessary reading skills required when leaving primary school, according to a new report from Save the Children.

The Power of Reading, which was published as part of the Read On. Get On. campaign, said that this is a longstanding problem that needs urgent action.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly at risk of falling behind, with a third found to be unable to read at a satisfactory level when starting secondary school.

This, explained Save the Children, is a “crucial contributing factor” to the educational divide in the country, which results in thousands of youngsters from low-income families underperforming at school.

“Successive governments have spoken of the need to close the educational attainment gap and so realise a vision of society where no child is held back because they are born poor,” the two lead authors - Kayte Lawton and Hollie Warren - stated.

“And while some progress has been made in the last decade, it has been painfully slow. The reading gap – and therefore the overall attainment gap – is still wide. Children’s futures are stunted, and the country as a whole pays, as economic growth is held back through the loss of so much potential.”

The campaign, which is backed by a coalition of organisations, suggests that more needs to be done to boost the language skills in especially poor children when they are at primary school.

It reasons that “early language skills” have an influential impact on how well a child’s literacy skills develop throughout education.

The group behind Read On. Get On. have come up with a list of priorities - documented in the report - which it would like the next government to embrace.

This includes every nursery in England having at least one non-graduate member of staff with a qualification in young children’s speech, language and communication; the creation of a new, cross-departmental role (a so-called early years minister); and getting the government to focus on helping nurseries that specifically work with youngsters from poor backgrounds.

“Most of us read without even thinking about it. It’s a skill we take for granted, yet one that is essential for being able to get on in life,” the report states.

“As a child grows up, being able to read well not only enables them to discover new facts and to learn at school, but also opens them up to a world of new ideas, stories and opportunities.”