Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell is committed to ensuring literacy and numeracy skills are a priority in his constituency and has raised the issue with the Department for Education and Skills a number of times recently, the responses from ministers highlight the successful changes which have taken place over the past 5 years.

On September 15th Alan Campbell asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to make a statement on the effect of the National Literacy Strategy on literacy skills and the National Numeracy Strategy on numeracy skills among primary school children in the Tynemouth constituency.

The reply was that the improvement in the North Tyneside LEA has been greater than the national improvement. In 1998, 65% of pupils achieved level 4 or above in English at Key Stage 2. In 2003 that number had increased to 77%.

The National Numeracy Strategy has also led to significant improvements, again with North Tyneside LEA above the national average. In 1998, 59% of pupils achieved level 4 or above in mathematics at Key Stage 2, and the figure had risen to 76% in 2003.