The government's national literacy strategy is failing one child in five and needs to be urgently reviewed, a committee of MPs said yesterday.

The Commons education and skills committee said the Department for Education and Skills must commission a large-scale research programme to find the best way of teaching children to read.

After questioning the civil servants responsible for the strategy, which was introduced in 1997, the MPs said there was no evidence that it was based on sound research.

The committee said: "Even if the government's figures are taken at face value, at age 11 around 20 per cent of children still do not achieve the success in reading (and writing) expected of their age.

"This figure is unacceptably high and there is clearly much scope for improvement."