"Literacy Has Stalled" Education Inspector Says

Literacy has stalled in the UK according to chief schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw.

He told BBC Two’s Newsnight that reading standards have not improved since 2005.

He was speaking ahead of a speech to be given today in which he is expected to call for targets for 11-years-olds to be raised.

Teaching unions however have said that standards have said big improvements have been made in the past two decades and accused Ofsted and the government of “playing fast and loose with international data”.

Sir Michael, who took over the chief inspector's role in January, told Newsnight: "Standards in literacy and reading went up between 1995 and 2005. Since then standards have stalled and other nations have been doing better than us."

Sir Michael said one in five children was not reaching the standard expected (level 4) at the end of primary school.

"That means they can't access the curriculum in secondary school... and find it difficult to get jobs."

In a speech in London, he will say: "There can be no more important subject than English. It is at the heart of our culture and literacy skills are crucial to pupils' learning for all subjects. Yet too many pupils fall behind in their literacy early on.”

Power over education is devolved around the UK and Sir Michael’s ten point plan is aimed at raising the standard across England.

There is also a separate literacy drive in Wales.

(H)