News
“Literacy in a digital age” debate raises vital issues
28 Jul 2010
On Tuesday this week a New Statesman and Starbucks Coffee House debate, in association with the National Literacy Trust, took place at Starbucks in Oxford Street.
The panel boasted a diverse range of speakers from a variety of sectors including Jonathan Douglas, National Literacy Trust Director; Polly Courtney, author; Anita Wright, head teacher; and Nicholas Lezard, journalist for the New Statesman and the Guardian.
The debate addressed growing concerns that literacy standards in reading and writing have plateaued in recent years, with almost a fifth of pupils failing to reach expected levels. The debate raised issues about how we can inspire, support and develop literacy skills for the future.
Starbucks and the National Literacy Trust have been working together since 2001 and in 2008 began a new five year partnership with the aim of making a significant difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people and local communities. One of the key aims was to hold a series of literacy events to enable the literacy, education and business sectors to come together to help the National Literacy Trust develop important campaigning and policy activity, and the debate was the first of this type.
The New Statesman has an established reputation for encouraging constructive debate on education issues that matter to policy makers, the electorate and the wider public.
Photo credit: David Willems, photographer
You can read a blog about what happened at the debate on the New Statesman website here.
