Some really good education news! We’ve had results out today that show the Conservatives' reforms to education have seen the percentage of 6 yr olds passing reading checks has risen from 58% in 2012 to 81% in 2017.
Reading standards in England are the best in a generation, new international test results show. It is so important that all our children are able to read and today's results are a sign that our education system, despite the current issues with funding, which I have often said need to be addressed, is moving in the right direction in its fundamental purpose of better education our children.
In 2010, Conservatives in government changed the national curriculum to require schools to use phonics, where children are taught to read by learning individual sounds and then blending different sounds together into words.
Perhaps most importantly, today’s results – which are the country’s best since the study was introduced in 2001 and are a dramatic improvement on 2006 – show reading has improved for pupils from all backgrounds, but the low-performing are gaining most rapidly.
Kids in primary schools reading much better and we’ve gone up the league tables to eighth in the world.
Still a lot more today but we’ve made some real progress. If we haven’t got kids coming out of school being able to read, write and add up then there are more problems down the line.