Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve literacy education in Surrey Heath constituency.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

The English Hubs programme supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Surrey Heath’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading and writing.

In the 2025/26 academic year, this funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools which will be delivered through the English Hubs programme. This will help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. There will also be new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.

The department will also publish a writing framework this summer, which will support schools in delivering high quality writing provision across England.