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As children return to school after the half-term break, there will be much discussion in Westminster about the new and returning faces in government making decisions about the future of education.

This is important, but my concern is more immediate and more practical. Thousands of secondary school children across the country will be dreading returning to lessons because they struggle with reading and find it difficult to keep up in class.

National Key Stage 2 tests show that almost 175,000 (one in four) children started secondary school this year below the expected standard in reading. Evidence suggests that fewer than one in five of these children will go on to get a good GCSE grade in English. Being unable to read well can also lead children to switch off in lessons or be disruptive in the classroom.

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