Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children in the United Kingdom left school each year over the last three years unable to read and write; and what percentages of leavers in each year they represent.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThis information is not available to my Department. A report published by the National Foundation for Educational Research in 1972 indicated that in 1970–71 some 3 per cent. of 15-year-olds in England had severe reading difficulties. The latest available evidence suggests a rising trend in reading standards among 11-year-olds376W and it is likely that the percentage of school leavers with significant reading difficulties has declined in recent years.