Women: Literacy

Baroness Massey of Darwen Excerpts

Tuesday 8th March 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

We are committed to improving literacy skills, which is why the Secretary of State has said that by 2020 we want all children in England to be the best readers in Europe. We have made important changes at primary school to ensure that children are improving their skills. We also know that children need help from their parents, so we are also trying to focus on improving parents’ literacy skills. We have supported more than 100,000 learners, the majority of whom were female, in family learning programmes to help them with their literacy. We know from studies that that means they feel better able to support their children and to help them get the advantages they need.

[Baroness Massey of Darwen (Lab)]

How many initiatives exist to support women whose first language is not English?