Literacy levels in Fife’s schools have never been higher, the council has reported.
Children and teachers are bucking a national trend of falling achievement thanks to a new approach in primary schools.
Significantly, the gap in literacy rates between the region’s poorest children and those living in the most affluent areas is reducing, leading to a more level playing field for youngsters across the kingdom.
The results are attracting national interest with other councils keen to reproduce them.
Director of education Craig Munro said Fife is raising the bar for attainment.
“I’d like to thank the children and parents for their hard work which supports our drive on reading and writing,” he said. “I’m also writing to staff to thank them for their efforts.
“Teachers are leading the work to develop programmes that improve the quality of learning and teaching for reading and writing and it is paying dividends for our children.”
Leadership and teaching approaches were improved in primary schools through a Workshop for Literacy approach.
This is now being piloted in secondary schools.
It involved the setting up of a team to develop professional learning with staff and focused particularly on children who are looked after, are not attending school regularly or have high levels of exclusions.
Those living in areas with the highest 20% of free school meals entitlement or in the most deprived 10% of the population were also targeted.
A study carried out by a team of educational psychologists found the approach significantly improved reading accuracy and comprehension for all pupils.
Children from the 20% most disadvantaged backgrounds continued to perform above the national average but did not show significant improvement in reading accuracy from the end of P1 to mid P2.
However, their reading comprehension showed a highly significant improvement.
Fife education spokesman Councillor Bryan Poole said the council was committed to breaking the cycle of disadvantage.
“Reading and writing skills are vital for unlocking a child’s full potential and their confidence,” he said.
“Better literacy levels open up opportunities in secondary and further education and make people more employable.
“It really is the key to a child’s future.”
He added: “Too many children are living in poverty and they must have the same opportunities as others to build a successful future for themselves and the next generation.”
Expressing thanks to education staff, he stated: “The rise in literacy achievement in Fife is due primarily to them.”