05-08-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
MS brings experts together in a bid to combat illiteracy in Wales
Natasha Asghar, who serves as shadow cabinet secretary for education, launched the 'Alternative Literacy Panel' after an investigation found cueing was still being used in Welsh schools, despite being stopped in England more than 20 years ago.
Cueing sees children taught to read by guessing words from pictures or the context of a sentence.
The panel has proposed a series of improvements and strategic direction, which will help shape the Welsh Conservative manifesto for next year's Senedd election.
Sir Nick Gibb, a former UK minister of state for schools who is on the panel, said: "The Welsh Government should be listening to Natasha Asghar's Alternative Literacy Panel in advocating systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading in Welsh schools.
'As the UK schools minister for 10 years, we legislated to require systematic synthetic phonics in schools in England, and we introduced the phonics screening check to be sure that children had been taught to decode words and to ensure no child slipped through the net with their reading difficulties unidentified.
'As a consequence of our reforms, England is now fourth in the world in the reading ability of our nine and 10-year-olds according to the PIRLS international survey.'
Ms Asghar said: 'I am incredibly grateful to all of the experts who have joined my Alternative Literacy Panel and provided robust solutions to the reading crisis currently facing Wales.
'Low literacy can seriously hamper an individual's future learning and job prospects, hit their confidence, and we know illiteracy is significantly correlated with crime.
'I am determined to improve outcomes for our young people and this panel is a first important step in bringing about meaningful change.'
