A RECENT review published by the University of Cambridge shows that half a billion pounds spent attempting to raise the standard of English in primary schools in the UK has had almost no impact on children’s reading skills and pupils are losing their love of reading in the drive to improve literacy levels, the Guardian has reported.
The findings come from three reports published by the Cambridge Primary Review, the biggest inquiry into primary education in the UK for decades.
The first report from the UK National Foundation for Educational Research found that standards in British primary schools compared favorably with other countries’ results. In reading, British primaries were in the top group of countries. Schools Minister Lord Adonis said that the 2007 result in reading showed 84 percent of 11-year-olds achieved the expected level for their age group, up 17 percent since 1997.
However, the Durham University study, led by Peter Tymms, concluded that the National Literacy Strategy, which included the “literacy hour” daily English lesson, had made a “barely noticeable” impression on reading standards, which had hardly improved since the 1950s. Nick Gibb, the Shadow Schools Minister, said: “Millions of pounds have been spent on education but we haven’t seen improvements. As a result, many children, particularly those from poorer backgrounds, are not getting the opportunities they deserve.”
Wynne Harlen from the University of Bristol gave warning in his report that teachers were under great pressure of tests to increase scores by coaching pupils in how to answer questions.
The review also warned that British primary pupils’ relatively high attainment in reading skills was at the expense of their enjoyment of reading. David Laws, the Liberal Democrat schools spokesman, said: “There should be a real concern that the report shows that enjoyment is being squeezed out of learning. We must not turn our schools into factories producing test results.”
