Poor literacy skills ‘contributing to school truancy’
Schools might want to invest in more key stage 2 books after a government minister suggested that poor literacy skills are partly behind a recent surge in truancy.
According to new figures from the Department for Education, about 64,000 pupils are absent without permission on a typical school day.
Schools minister Nick Gibb said this is partly because literacy standards among some youngsters are not as high as they should be.
However, he insisted that the government is taking action to give teachers more power to deal with truancy and "restore discipline and good behaviour in the classroom".
Mr Gibb added that synthetic phonics is one method that is currently being widely used to help improve reading and writing skills among school pupils.
The government is also encouraging high-performing schools to apply for academy status as part of an effort to boost innovation in the education sector.
Figures show that since June 2010, more than 1,000 schools have submitted an application to undergo the conversion.
