HC Deb 20 November 1969 vol 791 cc333-4W
27. Mr. Tilney

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is

the percentage of reading disabilityin approved schools and remand homes; what use is being made of the initial teaching alphabet; and with what result.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

The information available, which is not comprehensive and does not cover children in remand homes, indicates an average of two to three years' retardation in reading ability at the point of admission to an approved school. Some schools have made use of the initial teaching alphabet, usually in individual cases of severe retardation, but there are no central records to show what success has been achieved.