ATL: Lack of reading skills among children is a concern
Schools in Wales might be keen to step up investment in key stage 2 books after a union said children cannot afford to fall behind at this level.
According to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), it is concerned by the number of pupils who are failing to reach the required reading and writing standards, the Western Mail reports.
Dr Philip Dixon, director of the union in Wales, told the newspaper this is because those who fall behind are "never able to reach their full potential".
He was responding to figures from the Welsh Conservatives which showed in 2010, nearly one in five 11-year-olds had not reached the expected standard in English, while a similar proportion were lagging behind in maths.
Angela Burns, the Conservative's shadow education minister, added that children with poor literacy skills may find it harder to realise their ambitions in later life.
This comes shortly after Justine Roberts of Mumsnet told the Evening Standard that ignoring the problem would effectively condemn young people "to the scrapheap" before they grow up.
