Government’s literacy ambition requires boosting nursery quality
Save the Children has responded to new figures on childrens progress in the first years of primary school, as Education Secretary Nicky Morgan MP has set out an ambition to get English children to the top of European literacy tables.
The new Department for Education figures show that the proportion of all children meeting the expected phonics standard has risen by three percentage points since 2014 to 77%. Children on Free School Meals still lag far behind with just two thirds (65%) reading the expected level.
In a speech today, the Education Secretary will commit to ensuring that, in the next five years, children in England will ‘become the best readers in Europe’ and is calling on publishers to enable school children to access English literature classics at low cost.
Gareth Jenkins, Director of UK Poverty, Save the Children said:
“Progress is being made in schools to improve the building blocks of reading. But still, quarter of all children - more than a third of the poorest children - are struggling with the government’s flagship phonics test. The Government has set out a clear ambition to get children reading well, but the only way to close this gap is by setting out concrete measures to prevent poor literacy - not just in schools but in nurseries too.
“So much of a child’s future is determined before they even reach school and our poorest children are arriving more than a year behind their classmates in key language skills. Good quality nurseries led by early years teachers can make all the difference. To deliver on the goal of every 11 year old reading well, the government must tackle the root causes by boosting nursery quality - particularly in the poorest areas.”
