An alumnus of the University of Chester is marking 30 years since he first penned one of the UK’s most popular educational children’s book series.
Millions of children have learned to read from The Magic Key series, featuring the adventures of characters Biff, Chip and Kipper, which has become a mainstay of the National Curriculum after being used in 80% of the nation’s primary schools.
Author Roderick Hunt was determined to develop a reading programme based on ‘humour, fun and motivation’ back in 1986 after becoming concerned about the progress of his own child.
Three decades on, his simple aim of teaching youngsters to read in carefully laid out stages has become a predominant fixture in the early education of children across the country.
Hunt, now 77, attended what was then known as Chester College in the late 1950s , studying English and Divinity, and was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to literature in education.
Professor Rob Warner, Executive Dean of Humanities at the university, said: “The University of Chester is extremely proud of the success of our alumnus, Roderick Hunt.
“Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy have a ubiquitous presence in classrooms and libraries up and down the country and throughout the world.
“Roderick attended Chester College in the late 1950s and we are pleased to say that to this day, he retains his connection with the university.
“We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on 30 years of helping countless numbers of children in their early years to become fluent and enthusiastic readers.
“The Oxford University Press estimates that, in that time, 38 million children have learned to read on the Oxford Reading Tree stories, which is a tremendous achievement.”
