Bangor Uni awarded £8.2m to lead new national literacy programme
The programme will operate through a network of CAL:ON hub schools, each linked with others to ensure nationwide coverage
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A new national literacy initiative will be rolled out to schools across Wales after Bangor University secured £8.2m in funding to establish a centre of excellence for literacy teaching.
The three-year CAL:ON Cymru project – short for Centre for the Advancement of Literacy: research-led Outcomes and Nation-wide change – will provide bilingual support for learners aged three to 16. It aims to strengthen schools’ literacy teaching through professional learning, guidance and resources, with particular focus on phonics and targeted help for pupils who need extra support.
The programme will operate through a network of CAL:ON hub schools, each linked with others to ensure nationwide coverage. Every local authority will have at least one hub school, which will work with Bangor University’s CAL:ON team to co-develop teaching materials and deliver training.
The initiative builds on four years of joint work by Bangor University and the University of York, during which 330 schools have implemented research-informed reading programmes such as Reading Informed Literacy with Language (RILL).
Education secretary, Lynne Neagle, said: “Literacy is central to improving standards and attainment in our schools and we are already seeing progress. Drawing from the work of our Literacy Expert Panel, the CAL:ON Cymru national centre of excellence ensures nationwide professional learning and ensures our expectations for literacy reflect the latest evidence on how to learn to read.”
Neagle added: “Support for the teaching of phonics is embedded throughout the [literacy] programme ensuring clear expectations, training and support for this critical part of reading teaching.
“Alongside literacy, I am confirming today how the £44m announced earlier this year will also support maths and digital skills, once again ensuring a high-quality and consistent approach in these vital areas.”
The wider £44m education investment announced in June also includes £2m for Primed for Success, a primary school maths support scheme, and £1.4m for STEM Learning: Teaching Digital with Confidence, aimed at strengthening digital skills teaching.
