A third of poor kids don't have the write stuff.

Byline: MARIE KIERANS

ALMOST one-third of children living in disadvantaged areas in Ireland have problems with reading and writing, it has emerged.

This is one of the findings of a draft report by the Government's advisory body, the National Economic and Social Forum, which examines more effective ways of tackling illiteracy.

Forum chief Maureen Gaffney said: "We're living in an era where literacy is super-important. It's like depriving children of oxygen.

"When they don't have literacy skills, there are serious consequences for their life chances."

The report shows that nation-ally one-tenth of children have serious literacy problems.

And despite 25 years of targeted education programmes children in disadvantaged areas are still suffering most.

The report warns that a continuing failure to tackle disability problems is storing up major social and economic problems. It says that children who do not read, write or communicate effectively at primary level are much more likely to leave school early, be unemployed or in low-skilled jobs, and have a higher chance of ending up in poverty - or in prison.

And it warned that there is no single quick-fix solution.

Ms Gaffney added one of the most revealing findings was that there was little difference between the aspirations of working-class and middle-class families for their children.

She said: "The big difference is that middle-class parents are equipped with a road map - they know what it takes to get a child successfully through school, through reading to them and encouraging them to do homework."

CAPTION(S):

STUDIOUS Child focused on work