Literacy news
One in six primary school pupils falling 'behind in basics'
7 Oct 2010
Tens of thousands of children are failing to make the expected progress in English between the ages of seven and 11, according to statistics published by the Department for Education today.
The findings reveal that around 61,500 youngsters (16%) did not progress by two levels in English.
The statistics show more boys are falling behind than girls in English, and this achievement gap has widened since last year.
Nearly 18% of boys did not make two levels of progress in English, compared to 14% of girls - a gap of 4%. In 2009, there was a 3% gap.
Fewer boys are making the expected progress in English than girls, Schools minister Nick Gibb said there was a "real concern" that one in six children were failing to make the right progress in the basics.
"Thousands of children are condemned to struggle at secondary school and beyond unless they get the fundamentals of reading and writing right at an early age. We also need to ensure that those who are doing well when they are seven are stretched to their full potential."
Mr Gibb said the government was planning to put synthetic phonics "at the heart of teaching children to read" as well as introducing a reading test for six-year-olds.
Read more on The Telegraph website.
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