News Archive

National Literacy Strategy criticised by top children's authors – University of Reading

The National Centre for Language and Literacy (NCLL) has now published the papers written by five leading children's authors for meetings with Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education. Earlier this year a reception for children's authors was held at 10 Downing Street, during which concerns were voiced about the negative effect of the Literacy Hour on children's reading and writing for pleasure. Mr Clarke suggested meetings to discuss the subject further and proposed the writing of some brief papers to bring the authors' main complaints into focus. Meetings with the Minister reproduces these papers for a wider audience. The five authors argue against attempts to analyse and categorise the novel, story or poem, to 'stick labels on it, teach-and-preach it into a coma&ellipse; or kill it off altogether with some kind of test.' Meetings with the Minister: Five children's authors on the National Literacy Strategy by Bernard Ashley, Anne Fine, Jamila Gavin, Chris Powling and Philip Pullman is available from NCLL priced £4.95 You can buy Meetings with the Minister and many other publications about literacy and language online at www.ncll.org.uk Three of the authors – Bernard Ashley, Anne Fine, Jamila Gavin, Chris Powling – will also be presenting their views on children's experience of writing in the current educational climate at a conference at NCLL on Saturday, 11 October. Further details and online booking at www.ncll.org.uk Based at the University of Reading, NCLL serve a national audience and are concerned with all aspects of language and literacy learning. They support teachers, parents and governors through a unique collection of resources, publications, an extensive programme of courses and conferences, ongoing research, and a membership scheme designed to meet the needs of individual schools. National Centre for Language and Literacy University of Reading Bulmershe Court Earley Reading RG6 1HY Tel 0118 378 8820