News
Literacy Commission releases report on literacy in Scotland
4 Dec 2009
The Literacy Commission has today released a report that states approximately one fifth of Scottish adults do not have the literacy skills they need for their daily lives.
A Vision For Scotland also reports that 13,000 pupils leave primary school every year without reaching even basic levels of literacy.
The commission says deprivation is the biggest barrier to literacy and wants to help children before they start school. Under its proposals, primary school pupils will learn to read by synthetic phonics and teachers will be trained to identify pupils in need of support.
Michael Russell, Scotland’s Education Secretary, said that he welcomed the contribution from the Commission and would be meeting its members to consider the recommendations.
“The Government is fully committed to improving literacy for everyone and it is encouraging that the Literacy Commission shares our ambitions,” he said. “Our focus on literacy skills starts in the early years and continues right through to lifelong learning.”
To read the article in the Scotsman, please visit: http://news.scotsman.com
To read the article in The Times, please visit: http://www.timesonline.co.uk
