Labour's Greatest Political Failure

At the start of the month we were told that standards of reading have risen little in fifty years. Today the quinquennial Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) reveals that, in fact, in just five years the reading performance of our children has fallen from third to fifteenth in the world (and Scotland from 14th to 21st).

Gordon Brown once told us, "There is no greater educational priority than ensuring that all children are able to read." So one might expect an admission that there can be no greater political failure than this, that ten years of Labour has thus failed a whole generation and will affect our nation for decades to come. Yet Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls has reacted by suggesting parents must do more. Given that until recently they clearly used to, perhaps they would — or even, could — once again, if the State didn't keep trying to do more?

Nontaial Liecraty Sartgety Fliarue

A report for an independent inquiry into England's primary schools says standards of reading have risen little in fifty years. The claims, made by the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre at the University of Durham (whose work we have encountered previously), will come as little surprise to anyone who works in a primary school and whose daily experience seems a world away from the Government's persistent claims of improvement in literacy standards as a result of the five hundred million pounds it has poured into its National Literacy Strategy.

The funny thing is, those young minds are actually incredibly versatile ... Aoccdrnig to a rscheeearchr at Cmadribge Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

However, apparently only 55% of people can understand that and even they would still have needed to have been taught the rudiments of reading. I suggest the CEM report provides further support to calls for the state to be taken out of pedagogy. Whether you've got a classroom anecdote to share, want to share how you discovered the joy of a good book, or just want to complain about this latest evidence of Government waste, do leave a comment!

Deedes - a gentleman, a scholar

On the day that we learn of the passing of Lord Deedes, an extraordinary journalist and commentator, I am struck by the chasm between his history of words, and the likely words of Tony Blair.

Whilst Bill Deedes is proven beyond compare as a writer of eloquence, insightfulness, and care, we are now faced with a bidding war over the memoirs of an ex-prime minister whose sought-for 'legacy' failed to materialise in reality, and therefore now needs to be created in a fact-fiction collaboration.

Is it really necessary for us all to relive once again the past ten years of presidential presumption, and the side-lining of parliament? Are we likely to learn anything more than some insider gossip of a government that perpetuates the myth that legislation changes hearts and minds? And does the UK really benefit from the previous prime minister, from a now un-elected and un-accountable position, writing about important events that are bound to include the current prime minister, and based on their stormy relationships, in a possibly not too rosy light?

I'm unconvinced, (as you might be able to tell), about the appeal of such memoirs. I'd much rather be directed to a file of articles by W F Deedes, from which I am likely to learn much more about political institutions, leadership - and the manners of a gentleman and a scholar.

Your Summer Reading

What will you be reading this summer? The BBC has conducted a survey of MPs and claims "Labour MPs are questioning the existence of God - but the Tories are more worried about the existence of Gord" — though in fact their top choice is William Hague's biography of anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce. Here are their top three for each of the main parties:

Labour

• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner by William Hague
• The Blair Years by Alastair Campbell

Conservatives

• William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner by William Hague
• Sir Robert Peel: A Biography by Douglas Hurd
• Gordon Brown by Tom Bower

Lib Dems

• William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner by William Hague
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Reverse Book Club

Books transform lives.
Access to information empowers individuals and communities.

Every schoolchild in Britain will today receive a £1 book token to mark World Book Day. Yet there are millions of people around the world who do not have the opportunity to buy a book, read a book, or even to learn to read a book.

That's why I want to highlight the Reverse Book Club, whose pitch is "4 books for £5 - and you never receive a single one of them!"

In the last few days, commentators here have rehearsed the arguments for education as a means for the disadvantaged in this country to escape from poverty. But exactly the same is true for those in the developing world – except their opportunities for obtaining an education are much lower. And before you ask, "Who cares?" let me remind you of something I wrote in The Times almost four years ago:

"Every country that does not enjoy access to basic freedoms such as education and healthcare is not only a country that cannot fulfil its potential but is also a country that will become a drain on and even a potential threat to the security of the international community."

So, next time you pick up a novel for £5, buy another four for the same price. You'll never receive a single one of them, but you'll be making a world of difference.