§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what revisions to the National Literacy Strategy he is undertaking to ensure primary schools meet the Government's targets for reading; and if he will make a statement on the prevalence of synthetic phonics teaching in schools. [144490]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe National Literacy Strategy (NLS) has dramatically increased the Key Stage 2 reading results. Since 1998 there has been a 10 percentage point increase in the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level for their age in the Key Stage 2 English tests, with an increase of 10 percentage points in reading. There have also been increases in reading results at Key Stage I, with a 7 percentage point increase in the percentage of pupils achieving level 2B or above in the Key Stage 1 Reading tests since 1998. The work 961W of the NLS is now being taken forward within the wider context of our Primary Strategy. as set out in "Excellence and Enjoyment".
The emphasis that the Primary Strategy places on phonics in teaching children to read has had a direct impact on the reading results at both Key Stage I and Key Stage 2. The Primary Strategy adopts the `Searchlights' model of reading, which advocates that children should be taught to read using synthetic and analytic phonics as well as other strategies such as knowledge of grammar and context. We will continue to
962W
Number of schools and total finding for financial year 2003–04 by EAZ LEA No. Zone Number of schools within the zone
Funding for 2003–04 330 Aston & Nechells 19 826,000.00 330 Kitts Green and Shard End 15 810,843.07 846 East Brighton 8 683,459.66 881 East Basildon 28 888,500.00 381 Halifax 28 724,000.00 810 Kingston upon Hull 18 676,791.67 892 Nottingham 9 591,500.00 879 Plymouth 21 731,633.00 373 North East Sheffield 21 655,000.00 391 South Tyneside 16 732,266.00 210 Southwark 16 657,000.00 926 Thetford 10 650,492.00 359 Leigh 26 742,200.00 820 Bedford 20 896,000.00 830 North East Derbyshire Coalfields 19 967,532.00 882 Southend 20 876,000.00 204 Hackney 16 862,000.00 928 Challenge for Corby 28 837,366.00 209 Downham and Bellingham 24 950,000.00 203 Greenwich (Time to Succeed) 15 817,000.00 206 North Islington (Widening Horizons) 19 1,317,000.00 929 Ashington 20 969,157.00 909 Barrow (Community Learning Group) 18 912,000.00 341 Dingle, Granby and Toxteth 17 1,195,066.00 840 Peterlee (Partners in Learning) 15 1,009,266.00 875 Ellesmere Port—Epicentre LEAP 23 956,000.00 807 East Cleveland 18 671,000.00 350 Bolton (Breightmet and Tonge) 19 893,000.00 840 Easington and Seaham 20 1,097,000.00 352 East Manchester 17 804,633.00 341 Speke Garston 16 1,121,240.00 352 Wythenshawe 18 1,024,000.00 931 Hamilton Oxford (Schools Partnership) 14 909,000.00 845 Hastings and St. Leonards 26 855,250.00 886 Kent Somerset (Virtual Education Improvement Zone) 29 966,000.00 933 Kent Somerset (Virtual Education Improvement Zone) 6 See above 850 Leigh Park (Education Action Zone) 15 906.000.00 887 Gillingham 16 930,479.00 871 Heart of Slough 22 1,015,000.00 881 South East England Virtual 7 796,000.00 305 South East England Virtual 7 See above 933 Bridgwater 16 910,008.00 801 Bristol 16 902,896.00 908 Camborne, Pool and Redruth (Success Zone) 30 945,633.00 332 Dudley (Partnership for Achievement) 20 856,000.00 893 North West Shropshire (Meeting the Rural Challenge) 20 784,000.00 333 Wednesbury 17 630,495.00 336 Wolverhampton 16 884,805.00 380 South Bradford (Community Learning Partnership) 19 850,000.00 373 South East Sheffield 21 1,067.216.00 384 Wakefield (Community Learning Partnership) 16 1,048,062.00 811 Withernsea and Southern Holderness (Rural Achievement) 13 891,658,67 808 North Stockton 19 750,000.00 394 Sunderland 19 764,848.00 916 Gloucester 23 848,000.00 331 Coventry 18 857,633.00 support the teaching of phonics, and will be producing a supplement to "Progression in Phonics" next spring through the Primary Strategy.