Launch of joint UCL and Arsenal literacy initiative attended by Education Minister

Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening, yesterday attended the launch of a new partnership between UCL Institute of Education (IOE) and Arsenal in the Community. The aim of the partnership is to reach more north London children with reading programmes and raise educational achievement through IOE's Reading Recovery literacy intervention and Arsenal's 'Double Club' initiative. The Minister was given a tour of Emirates Stadium before listening to a group of pupils aged between five and seven years old read. The children she met have benefitted from either the work of Arsenal's Double Club or the IOE's Reading Recovery initiative as both programmes have helped children improve their literacy skills. Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Education, said: "It is brilliant to see literacy and sporting activities working together with the Reading Recovery Read Aloud initiative. I loved reading as a child, and its really important that children can read well. That's why the curriculum now has more focus on reading and writing, and our phonics work is helping 147,000 more children to get on track to become great readers." Playing sport is about more than just ensuring young people are healthy and happy.