ASCL comment on England’s success in PIRLS

Commenting on England’s success in the Progress International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“This is a badly needed piece of good news for an education system that feels beleaguered. These excellent results in reading standards of 9–10-year-olds are testament to the hard work, skill and dedication of primary school teachers and leaders.

“The government is quick to claim that this is the outcome of its policies, but in truth, these results have been achieved despite the government’s record of neglect which has led to a critical shortage of funding and teachers.

“The Prime Minister is right to praise our brilliant teachers, but he now needs to match this rhetoric with a decent, fully funded pay award which improves recruitment and retention and protects education standards.”