Written question asked by Henry Smith (Conservative) on Monday, 8 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 November 2010. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Wednesday, 1 December 2010 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Schools: Reading

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effects on attainment levels in reading and mathematics among the lowest achieving six and seven year olds of the Every Child a Reader programme; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: We regularly evaluate the progress of the programme against a range of management information. Evidence shows that Every Child a Reader has had a positive impact in raising the attainment of pupils in the programme, as well as indications of a positive whole-school effect.All three Every Child programmes are currently undergoing robust independent evaluations, to report in late 2010 or early 2011, which will give a substantive view of the impact of the programmes.

Secondary information