Rt. Hon. Balls confirms £9m investment in phonics training

LONDON – Children’s secretary Ed Balls has confirmed £9m (NZ$27 million) of funding for training to develop high quality phonics in early years settings and primary schools, as part of the government’s drive to ensure every child learns to read.

In the new financial year the remaining 51 local authorities will join the existing 100 already engaged in the highly successful Communication, Language and Literacy Development programme, that has been designed to implement Sir Jim Rose’s recommendations on early reading.

This £9m (NZ$27 million) commitment means every area will have a specialist advisor training and supporting early years practitioners and primary school teachers.

The government is separately funding Leading Literacy Schools to ensure newly qualified teachers (NQTs) get the best possible training in the use of phonics from this year.

Standards of children’s literacy have never been higher – with 86 per cent of children reaching the expected level four in reading at the end of primary school in 2008, in comparison to just 67 per cent in 1997.

In rolling out the Every Child a Reader programme the government has committed to providing effective early intervention and ensuring every child gets the help they need to learn to read.