HL Deb 15 April 1981 vol 419 cc1024-5WA
Lord Simon of Glaisdale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In view of the statement of the Minister, Department of Education and Science, on 28th January. 1981 (Lords Hansard, col. 797) that" the initial teaching alphabet has been successful in introducing many children to reading", what steps have been taken since 1973 by Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, or otherwise, to monitor the success of the initial teaching alphabet in introducing children to reading.

Baroness Young

Since 1973 many inspections and surveys in primary schools conducted by Her Majesty's Inspectorate have included children's reading. National surveys of reading have also been conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research as a result of funding by the Department of Education and Science. The initial teaching alphabet is one of a number of approaches used in the teaching of reading, but it is not used sufficiently often to allow comment on its efficacy in general surveys. There is no reason to suppose that a special study undertaken now would significantly modify the findings of the major Schools Council report: ita,An Independent Evaluation by F. W. Warburton and V. Southgate, published in 1969.