More reading for pupils

Stephen Byers explains his literacy plans

Parents to be Given Key Role in Literacy Scheme

The courses, lasting up to eight hours a week over three months, will run from September in more than 60 education authorities.

Thousands of parents with poor reading would spend half of the course improving their own skills, and half helping their children.

Mr Byers made the announcement as he unveiled details of the strategy to meet the Government's ambitious targets to boost literacy by the end of the century.

Stress on improving reading skills

Parents, he said, had a central role as their children's first educators, and supporters of the work of schools. Home-school contracts would set out what was expected of them, including 20 minutes every day reading to their children, or listening to them read.

The contracts would not be legally enforceable, Mr Byers said, but were intended to give parents the guidance they were seeking.

"No-one is going to get sued if they only read to their children for 19 minutes a day," he said. "It is intended as a statement of good intent as much as anything else. What parents are looking for is clear guidance on what is expected of them."

Mr Byers also spelled out the roles of teachers, schools, local education authorities and Ofsted inspectors in ensuring that the Government meets its target for the year 2002 of ensuring that 80% of 11-year-olds reach the expected standard of literacy.

That included targets for each school and each LEA, and a new duty on inspectors to monitor the literacy drive in every primary school.