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'Macho' ministers deny pupils the chance to read for fun, says Laureate
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent9 Jul 2008
A leading writer has attacked the Government's "macho" education policies for deterring children from reading books.
Children's Laureate Michael Rosen condemned official literacy schemes that reduce English lessons to exercises in which pupils merely "bark at print".
He warned that most young teachers suffered from a "tragic" ignorance of modern children's literature, and had not read a single book written for pupils since they were at school.
His comments, in an interview with the Evening Standard, mark the latest criticism of "tests and targets" culture.
Mr Rosen, who lives in Dalston, said the centrally prescribed literacy strategy failed to recognise the importance of reading for pleasure. "The Government is making a big mistake by not saying reading for pleasure is as important as learning to read," he said.
"It's not sufficient simply to have children learning how to bark at print. You must have enjoyment going on at the same time. If you read for pleasure children will achieve."
Mr Rosen made his name as a poet and broadcaster before succeeding Jacqueline Wilson as Children's Laureate last year. The role is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. His works include the Quentin Blakeillustrated Mind Your Own Business and You Can't Catch Me!
Mr Rosen criticised what he called "Blunkettism" - after former education secretary David Blunkett, who introduced the national literacy strategy during Tony Blair's first term.
Under that strategy, primary pupils spent an hour a day learning literacy and schools were set tough targets. Initially the scheme brought significant improvements in national test results, but progress is now said to have stalled.
Mr Rosen said ministers "like to talk tough", adding: "They learned this from Blunkett. It must sound macho. They think what wins votes is if you appear on television with a great big truncheon in your hand and say, 'We are going to bash teachers and kids.'"
Mr Rosen called for inspectors to rate schools on whether they foster a love of reading in their pupils. And he said it was "absolutely tragic" that so few teachers had time in their courses to learn how to help children enjoy books.
They were forced to return to the books they knew as children - such as classics like The BFG or The Witches by Roald Dahl: "Teachers are coming into schools off training courses and the last children's books they knew were the ones they read 13 years earlier." But children's interests change and there were good new authors to be studied, he said.
The Government stressed it supported a scheme to help pupils develop a love of reading. A Schools Department spokeswoman said: "It is one of the highest priorities that every child is able to read and write confidently. Thanks to our investment and focus on literacy 100,000 more 11-year-olds are now achieving the target level." Mr Blunkett's spokesman said the former education secretary was "very fond" of Mr Rosen and remembered "warmly" his contribution to reading schemes. "He thinks Mr Rosen must have had a flashback to some other secretary of state," the spokesman said.
"Mr Blunkett stands by the literacy programme and the reading hour."
