ABSTRACT
Whenever standards in education are discussed, reading is usually at the centre of the debate. When parents express concern to teachers about their child's progress it is more often than not about his or her reading. When the Government expresses concern about levels of pupils' performance it usually includes their performance in reading. It is easy to see why reading has such an important place in our society-not only is it central to learning across the curriculum, it is
also an important skill that is required every day by the majority of people (see Figures 5.1,5.2 and 5.3).
