Schools' failure at three R's is 'putting the economy at risk'

Britain is less productive than France, Germany and the U.S. because primary school children are failing to master the three Rs, a report warns today.

Our workers' output is up to 25 per cent lower because they have failed to develop literacy and numeracy skills by the time they leave school.

The study, by experts at the London School of Economics, found a good grounding in the three Rs at primary school is crucial to later success in the workplace.

The team behind it believe decades of progressive teaching practices, such as "free reading", have left many adults with poor basic skills.

The research for Cambridge University, which is conducting a major review of primary education, says: "There is still an economic premium to having the most basic skills (meaning the expected levels of literacy and numeracy at 11).

"This reflects the fact that many adults in the UK do not have these skills.

"If basic numeracy and literacy skills were universal, there would be no special 'wage premium' attached to them in the labour market.

"In this context, it is not surprising concerns about educational standards in primary school have become a top priority."

The Government's own figures suggest 15million adults struggle with basic maths while five million have trouble reading.

The study also cites a landmark 1990s Ofsted report, which lifted the lid on poor teaching practices in London primaries, including "free reading with little or no intervention by the teacher" and a failure to teach traditional phonics.

Although the researchers admitted standards appear to have risen in recent years, thanks to daily literacy numeracy lessons, improvements at primary level appear to have stalled as schools face a teacher recruitment timebomb.

The calibre of teachers also appears to be falling due to rising graduate salaries in other occupations.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said: "We have planned to provide onetoone tuition and personalised support to help every child achieve to the best of their ability at school, and we have ensured that in future all young people will stay on in education or training to 18 so they have the skills they need to prosper."