Johnson Outlines Parenting Strategy

Parents will be encouraged to spend more time reading to their children under a new Government “parenting strategy”. Education Secretary Alan Johnson will set out the Government’s thinking on how to help parents become more involved in their children’s schooling.

He said if parents turned off the television and spent time reading to children, the problem of illiteracy could be virtually wiped out. Working class boys in particular need all the help they can get with their schoolwork, Mr Johnson said.

“The average family spends four hours a day watching television,” he said. “If they read to their children for a tenth of that time, we could practically eradicate illiteracy. Fathers play a vital role and we need to be better prepared for when families break down, ensuring that a young boy’s hopes and dreams do not crumble just because their parents’ relationship does.”

In a speech to the Fabian Society, Mr Johnson said boys faced particular difficulties when being brought up by single mothers. He suggested that grandfathers could provide “a vital male influence in the absence of a responsible father”.