ABSTRACT
Any teacher introducing a text to a class of pupils has to accept the teaching responsibility of ensuring that the text has meaning for all those pupils. Different sorts of texts require different reading approaches and skills. This is not a recent requirement. The Bullock Report (DES 1975) made this recommendation. More recently, the 1995 National Curriculum Statutory Orders in art, design and technology, geography, history, information technology, mathematics, music and science (DFE 1995) have been prefaced with the following paragraph:
Not many teachers have read that part of the document. Since the introduction of the Key Stage 3 Strategy in 2001, all secondary schools have been expected to review their provision for teaching literacy skills across the curriculum as a vital component of the drive to improve pupils' access to and understanding of all their subjects, and to raise their standards of attainment.
