§ 18. Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last received an Her Majesty's inspectorate report on the training of students in teacher training colleges in the methods of teaching reading; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FallonMinisters receive regular advice from Her Majesty's inspectorate on teacher training as on other aspects of the education system. Her Majesty's inspectorate will be providing advice to Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education in connection with the inquiry we have asked the council to conduct, and this will be included in their report at the end of the year.
§ 21. Mr. Jacques ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the teaching of reading skills in schools.
403W
§ Mr. EggarIt must be a priority of every primary school to enable children to read. Advice on good practice was offered in the report on reading by Her Majesty's inspectorate which was circulated to all primary schools in January. The main message was that reading has to be taught, in a structured way, and the most effective teachers used a mix of methods to teach initial reading, invariably including phonics. School reading policies, well organised classrooms, good teaching and regular testing and recording were other important factors in fostering reading skills. The national curriculum for English provides an effective framework for the teaching and assessment of reading skills.