English primary school children ‘lagging behind Welsh counterparts’
Schools in England may need to step up their investment in Key Stage 2 books after figures revealed the country's primary school children are lagging behind their counterparts in Wales.
However, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has insisted that this disparity does not necessarily mean English schools are underperforming.
Speaking to the South Wales Echo, ATL Cymru's Dr Philip Dixon said: "We're not talking about results getting worse and it shows that we are upping our game."
Nevertheless, official data indicated that English school pupils are pulling ahead of those in Wales once they progress to secondary school.
Dr Dixon said this means Welsh education authorities need to examine whether they need to "migrate what we are doing at KS2 to the other Key Stages."
He was speaking after Professor Maggie Snowling of the University of York stated that finding those with literacy problems at a young age is "critical", as it allows the "appropriate interventions" to be carried out.
