Portsmouth MP visits a North End school to learn more about reading scheme amid fears city children are 'at risk of being left behind'

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan visited New Horizons Primary School, in Portchester Road, to learn more about the Reading Recovery programme.

The literacy scheme is designed for the lowest achieving children aged around six that enables them to reach age-expected levels within 20 weeks.

Mr Morgan said: ‘It’s been really useful to see first-hand at New Horizons Primary school the work Reading Recovery are doing to support young people with their reading.

‘Students have faced an unprecedented level of disruption to their learning over the last two years, so it’s vital they are able to get the extra support where it’s needed to help them catch up.

‘Despite the work of schemes like this one, government cannot rely on them to paper over the cracks as more and more Portsmouth children continue to be at risk of being left behind.

‘I will continue to lobby Ministers to secure the very best for local students’ futures.’

Based at the UCL Institute of Education, the Reading Recovery network supports hundreds of schools across the UK, who use it as an early intervention strategy to reduce the number of children experiencing literacy difficulties.

Each school involved is able to personalise learning, making sure that the phonics teaching fits with the school’s phonics programme.

According to UCL’s Institute for Education, nearly 20 per cent of children (126,356) in England do not meet the expected standards in the Year 1 phonics test.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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