Literacy

Seven Ofsted findings on the strengths and weaknesses in primary school language teaching

There’s a link between parents’ and children’s language abilities, research shows – but is it genetic or environmental?

Passionate subject specialists can overcomplicate things – but they can also fire up enthusiasm, says Tabitha McIntosh

A lack of cultural capital or historical understanding can limit some students’ ability to access literary texts. English teacher Laura May Rowlands explains how she levels the playing field by providing classes with the context and vocabulary they need before tackling challenging poetry or prose

Pupils chose more difficult reading matter during lockdown, study finds

Creating a fully formed story out of thin air is a big ask – but there are powerful ways to guide your students

Pupils’ reading for pleasure increased in lockdown – but the difficulty levels of books ‘plateaued’ in upper primary

We must consider authors’ problematic views on women when choosing which books students study, says Gordon Cairns

Scotland risks falling behind if it does not take a more evidence-based approach, says Anne Glennie

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the literacy hour – and its impact is still felt in primary schools, says Michael Tidd

For teachers concerned about the effect that lockdown has had on children’s oral language development, a simple but effective intervention is to pick up a book, says Megan Dixon

When the government first announced that functional skills in English would include phonics, it sparked concerns about infantilising FE students. But the truth is that the method was already being used to teach reading in colleges and, with adaptations, it appears to have been successful with older learners, finds Chris Parr