e better at reading than their Welsh peers, but may be less happy, according to new research.

The study, by Cardiff University, also reveals that from the age of three, youngsters in England make faster progress in literacy than those in Wales and Scotland.

Professor Chris Taylor, who led the study, said that the gap in reading between nations was “worrying”.

Researchers used data from the Millennium Cohort study, which is tracking about 19,000 children, to compare reading and literacy levels.