1.5 million children 'will be unable to read well by 2025'

Children who have poor literacy skills will "struggle with everything else," the Education Secretary has told Good Morning Britain.

Nicky Morgan, who was speaking in the take 10 literacy campaign, said: "If a child can't read and write, then they are going to struggle with everything else. It is going to make it harder and harder for them to secure a job."

The Education Secretary has "wholeheartedly" endorsed a campaign that aims to ensure that by 2025, all pupils are reading to a good standard at the age of 11.

"Eradicating illiteracy and innumeracy is central to our plan for education and that plan is working," Nicky Morgan said.

"However, we know there is more to do which is why our new curriculum has a greater focus on reading and encourages children to read widely for pleasure so they can develop a real love of literature," she continued.

"This brilliant campaign will help us all to make a real difference to the lives of millions of children and I hope that the whole country will get behind it."

Dame Julia Cleverdon, chairwoman of the Read On. Get On. coalition, said it was "shameful" that thousands of children leave primary school unable to read well enough to enjoy reading.

Around 1.5 million children will leave primary school unable to "read well" by 2025 if urgent action is not taken to tackle the issue, research suggests.

It warns that progress in improving children's reading levels has been too slow in the past, with poor youngsters most at risk of being left behind.

The study has been published by a group of leading charities, teachers, parents and businesses, which is launching a new campaign to ensure that by 2025, all pupils are reading to a good standard at age 11.

Reading with a child for just 10 minutes a day - even reading from the back of a cereal packet - can make a difference, the Read On. Get On. coalition suggests.

An "alarmingly high" proportion of adults do not have a good grasp of reading, writing and maths, an influential group of MPs have warned.

Urgent action is needed to tackle the issue, the Commons Business Select Committee said as it warned those who struggle the most with literacy and numeracy are not getting the help they need.

It called for a new national campaign to promote the free tuition available for anyone who wants to study those subjects up to GCSE level, alongside providing better funding and assessments to establish who needs assistance with the basics.