Literacy levels of pupils aged between 11 and 14 remain a concern, according to a report published by education watchdog Estyn.
The education inspectors for Wales found that nationally, in most secondary schools at key stage 3, standards for reading and writing were much lower than children’s verbal skills.
Ann Keane, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales, said: “One of the main challenges facing education in Wales today is eradicating poor standards of literacy.
“Too many pupils have a weak grasp of literacy skills which affects how well they do at school. Even when pupils do well in external assessments of their Welsh or English, their literacy skills are not always strong enough for them to apply these skills fully and confidently in other subject areas.
“However, we have found that many schools have responded well to the increased emphasis on developing pupils’ key skills and they have made improving literacy a top priority in their school development plan. All schools surveyed have literacy co-ordinators but it is too early to judge the impact of their leadership on improving standards.
“Tracking and monitoring should also be a priority for schools to ensure that all pupils are given the appropriate opportunities to receive the right support to enable them to progress across all key stages.”
The report said more secondary schools are planning opportunities for pupils to gain Essential Skills Wales communication qualifications, but that pupils were not applying these skills.
At all National Curriculum levels, English performance is lower than the other core subjects, although Welsh first language is much higher. Girls perform significantly better than boys at the expected and higher levels in English and Welsh.
Only a minority of schools surveyed have carried out an audit of pupils’ literacy skills to see whether subjects identify and provide opportunities for pupils to develop these skills. Where schools have developed training on literacy strategies, subject schemes of work are more consistent in highlighting the precise literacy skills to be taught.
Many schools have well-defined procedures for assessing pupils’ reading abilities and arrangements to support those with weaker skills. However, only a minority record these pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 3 or monitor more-able readers well enough.
In May this year, the Welsh Government launched The National Literacy Programme (NLP) to boost reading reading standards.
National reading tests will be a feature of the new programme as well as the development of a statutory National Literacy and Numeracy framework.
The Welsh Government has said teachers and pupils will also get targeted support.
As part of the programme, teachers will have the opportunity to undertake additional study in the teaching of literacy.