Katherine Collier discusses how the Millennium Cohort Study is helping her explore the relationship between personal, social and economic factors and literacy in UK primary school pupils.
Literacy is often framed as a fundamental educational outcome, as being one of the core skills that schools are responsible for developing alongside numeracy. Yet its significance extends far beyond the classroom.
The ability to communicate through words can shape how individuals access information, pursue their goals and participate in modern life. It supports knowledge acquisition and can contribute to success in education and broader life contexts.
Furthermore, adults with stronger literacy skills tend to have improved employment prospects and higher incomes, and are more likely to describe their health as excellent or good.
Despite this, literacy challenges remain widespread. Around 18% of individuals in England struggle with literacy, and this often emerges early in a child’s educational journey.
The gap between more and less literate students may persist, meaning that differences observed during primary school can continue to shape educational trajectories later in life.
Literacy attainment is rarely shaped by individual ability alone. Instead, it reflects a complex combination of personal circumstances, family resources, educational opportunities and wider social environments.
If policymakers and educators are to address low literacy effectively, it is essential to understand which factors are most strongly associated with low literacy, and how these factors may shape educational outcomes.
Research aims and analytical approach
My research explores a central question:
Which personal, social and economic characteristics are associated with low literacy skills among pupils in UK primary schools?
By identifying these characteristics and considering why such associations might exist, the study will contribute to reducing the number of people leaving school without adequate literacy skills.
To investigate this question, I am drawing on data from the Millenium Cohort Study (MCS). The MCS is a rich large-scale longitudinal dataset that follows children born in the UK between 2000 and 2002.
Since infancy, cohort members and their families have been surveyed across multiple sweeps, providing a wealth of information on family background, educational experiences and social circumstances.
The data available within the dataset on individuals’ personal, social and economic characteristics is therefore exceptionally rich, with linked education administrative data also available. This means that the MCS is a wonderful study to be able to use as a basis for this research.
I rely on the SafePod network to access controlled data for my work. This secure environment has become an essential part of my academic practice, as it is easy to use and supports secure, compliant access to sensitive information.
Previous research suggests that literacy outcomes are shaped by a complex combination of family resources, educational opportunities and social environments.
To explore these relationships, I am using multiple regression analysis, which allows a range of personal and socioeconomic characteristics to be considered simultaneously. This approach is particularly valuable in education research where many influences may be deeply interconnected.
By considering multiple variables together, the regression model estimates the association of each factor with literacy attainment while considering the presence of other characteristics.
The aim is then to identify which factors are most strongly associated with lower literacy attainment in primary school, ceteris paribus, recognising that no single factor tells the full story.
Importantly, the analysis does not imply that a child’s background determines their educational outcomes in a deterministic sense. Instead, it highlights patterns of inequality that may increase the likelihood of lower literacy attainment.
Interpreting the associations
However, identifying these statistical relationships is only the beginning. I will also consider why these associations may occur.
Several mechanisms can help to explain the links between literacy attainment and personal and socio-economic background. Exploring and understanding these mechanisms is essential because it moves the discussion beyond identifying disparities towards considering how these disparities might be addressed.
This research is ongoing, and I am currently exploring the data and selecting variables for the regression models.
The richness of the MCS offers me exciting opportunities for detailed analysis, and careful preparation at this stage will help to ensure that I robustly answer my research question.
Broadening access to literacy
Reducing the number of individuals leaving school with low literacy skills is both an educational and societal challenge.
By identifying which personal, social and economic characteristics are associated with low literacy, and considering why these associations may arise, this research seeks to inform both academic understanding and policy discussion.
Ultimately, improving literacy is not just about simply raising test scores. It is about ensuring that all individuals have the skills they need to navigate the complexities of contemporary life.
This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council funded NINE Doctoral Training Partnership [grant number ES/Y001648/1].
Meet the author
Katherine is a PhD student in the School of Education at Durham University.
Her current research explores the literacy development of children, with a focus on its association with a range of social, economic and personal factors.
Katherine is committed to advancing inclusive educational practices, especially in relation to SEND. Her work continues to shape her understanding of inclusive education and motivates her to produce robust, evidence-based research that advances equity for all learners.
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