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• 02Jul2010

  With plans for a full spending review underway, how can we campaign to ensure that literacy is a priority?

  Posted by George Dugdale

  The first budget from the coalition Government has been set out in the House of Commons by Chancellor George Osborne. This emergency budget is the latest stage in the new Government’s movement towards achieving their top priority: reducing the public finance deficit. The government has decided to push ahead with a deficit reduction programme made up of 77% cuts and 23% tax rises, with George Osborne saying that international studies show the most successful way to reduce a deficit is through cuts.

  The programme of cuts will include efficiency savings, as well as the scrapping of whole programmes. While the exact amount each department will be expected to save is not known, it is expected to be around 25% of their current budget. In the long-term this could lead to a fundamental repositioning of the role of the state, something tied into the “Big Society” idea the Conservatives used in their election campaign.

  This fundamental shift in approach to government, allied with a huge reduction in availability of money, will impact on all policy areas, including literacy. Early signs of how these changes will affect literacy are visible from the scrapping of programmes such as the proposed new primary curriculum, agencies such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, and the move towards more academies and free schools. The impact of these moves on the literacy levels of the population remains to be seen, but what is clear is that schools, adult learning providers and other literacy providers will all be operating in a much tighter fiscal environment than previously.

  The National Literacy Trust is delighted that the new Department for Education ministers have spoken publicly about the importance of literacy. Secretary of State Michael Gove has previously said that “nothing is more important than getting literacy right” and Minister of State Sarah Teather has experience running a commission into the importance of speaking and listening skills.

  Over the coming months the National Literacy Trust will be working to ensure that this stated focus on literacy remains a government priority and is recognised as such in the spending review. We will be responding to the treasury consultation and engaging the Department for Education in discussion about the vital importance of literacy to the future competitiveness and wellbeing of the UK.

  We need our network of professionals and experts (who know better than anyone the difference strong literacy skills can make to an individual’s life) to show their support for literacy through our Vote for Literacy campaign. We are encouraging everyone to pledge their support for the campaign and to work with us to ensure that the Government recognises literacy as an essential area that requires continued funding.  We are also seeking your ideas on what we should be saying to Government. We all know how important literacy is and we need to ensure that this message is not forgotten.

Tags: England, Local Authorities, NLT Campaigns, Northern Ireland, Policy, Schools & teaching, Scotland, Social inclusion, Wales

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