The government advice also stresses traditional approaches such as teaching phonics: the system by which children learn to read by recognising the sounds of individual letters.

The advice is so detailed it even sets out lists of words pupils should be familiar with by a certain age.

By the time they are seven they should know words such as "laugh", "night" and "people".

Teachers' unions have broadly accepted the advice but there is concern that it will be a further bureaucratic burden on schools.

The Education Department's aim is to get 80% of 11-year-olds up to the requisite literacy standard by 2002.

Some teachers' leaders had complained that the current 10-subject primary school curriculum was overcrowded.

The government hopes that placing more emphasis in the timetable on subjects such as literacy will help to tackle that problem. Guidance on numeracy is to follow.

The Education Secretary, David Blunkett, has said: "For too long, too many primary school teachers have been prevented from giving literacy and numeracy the attention they deserve.

"The National Curriculum has lacked the very clear focus on the basics which is crucial in primary education.

"It is no surprise that so many pupils leave primary school ill-equipped in the three-Rs."

Relevant Stories

English schools told to go back to basics (13 Jan 98 | UK)
Lukewarm reception for classroom changes (13 Jan 98 | UK)
Government sets tough literacy targets (07 Jan 98 | UK)

Internet Links

Office for Standards in Education
Department for Education and Employment
BBC Education
National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers
National Union of Teachers
UK Teacher Education Homepage
Professional Association of Teachers

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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