Library lesson

IF Michael Gove is to be believed, the best way to raise academic standards is to sack poor teachers, extend the school day – and introduce lessons on Saturdays. Yet the Education Secretary would be advised to consider the merits of Rotherham’s Imagination Library that was being championed in the House of Commons last night by John Healey MP.

It has achieved outstanding results since it launch four years ago when every child in the borough aged under five started to receive a free book once a month to, hopefully, inspire a love of reading, and help youngsters improve their literacy, before they start primary school. It has also been effective in sparking the interest of parents.

Yet, as Mr Healey said, the challenge now is to build on this success story and see how it can be rolled out. Its importance cannot be under-estimated – a failure to grasp key skills, like literacy, prevents thousands of Yorkshire school-leavers each summer from fulfilling their potential. And, given that Mr Gove is not backward when it comes to new policies, it can only be hoped that he applies his imagination to this worthy project – and its potential.