§ 36. Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made since 1979 in improving standards of English, written and spoken in schools; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldExamination results for the 16-plus age group indicate a small but steady rise throughout the decade in the standard of English attained by school leavers. Government initiatives such as the education support grant programmes for oracy and English language in the curriculum will continue this process. Above all the national curriculum will give pupils and teachers clear objectives for written and spoken English and the ways and means of reaching them.