£2 million investment in reading and writing

A £2 million investment in raising standards in reading and writing is set to benefit thousands of pupils across England, following a speech to the Centre of Social Justice on Monday 3rd February that outlined the success of phonics and the wish to build on that development.

A third of children finish primary school without fundamental reading, writing, and maths skills, with half of disadvantaged children lacking these skills.

The number of children who read for pleasure aged 8-18 has reduced by a third since 2019. Reading for pleasure is associated with better reading attainment, as well as stronger writing ability, text comprehension, grammar, and a wider vocabulary. A strong foundation in reading and writing is crucial for giving children the best chance at thriving through the rest of their school career, as well as helping children develop a love for reading early on.

As phonics has proven to be successful, teachers will receive additional training to build on this and help children read fluently by the time they leave primary school. This training will be delivered through the English Hubs programme, a school-to-school improvement programme to drive up standards.

Secondary school teachers will be offered new training and resources to help support readers at all stages, and the Department is set to commission further training next year which will specifically target struggling readers at secondary school who are at risk of falling behind.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “This government will build on the successes of recent decades, raising the bar when it comes to standards and delivering on our Plan for Change, breaking the link between background and success.

“Reading and writing are the cornerstones of learning. They hold the keys to the rest of the curriculum, with pupils who struggle to read so often struggling across the board.

“So while progress has been made — in particular when it comes to phonics — now is the time to take that work to another level.

“That means continuing to drive up quality of teaching, giving our brilliant teachers the tools and resources they need, and extending further support directly to the children and young people who need it most — because no child should leave school without a strong grasp of the basics.”

The curriculum review, launched in July, will ensure the curriculum caters to all pupils and delivers the foundations in reading, writing and maths that all children need to get a good start in life.