The number of summer literacy and numeracy schools will be doubled next year, Education Secretary David Blunkett has said.

Summer schools have aided literacy, says David Blunkett

Summer schools were one of Labour's first initiatives after being elected to power, in a bid to raise education standards.

Children attending summer numeracy schools receive 50 hours of extra tuition and parents are invited to join in by giving support.

This summer, thousands of children benefited from extra lessons in reading.

Confirming the expansion of the project during Question Time in the Commons, Mr Blunkett said the success was shown in the fact that many were oversubscribed and half those pupils evaluated had shown an improvement in their reading standards of six months or more.

He said it was a "tremendous achievement for those schools and a tremendous filip for their education."

He praised both the staff for their dedication and parents.

"I'm delighted to be able to confirm to the House that following the success of the 557 literacy and 51 numeracy schools this year, it's our intention to double the number of summer schools next year," said Mr Blunkett.

I won't quit - Blunkett

Bill Rammell, Labour MP for Harlow, praised the enthusiasm he had found in his local summer schools among staff and contrasted it with the attitudes to education under the last government.

Mr Blunkett said Labour was using actions rather than words and investing where the Tories had put in no money.

The turn-round of the once-failing Ridings School illustrated where there was a will and commitment, success could be achieved, he said.

Theresa May, Tory Education and Employment spokesman, asked whether Mr Blunkett would resign over education results.

She said the government was not meeting up to their words because results of Key Stage 2 published earlier this month in literacy showed the government was not meeting its targets. In numeracy, there had been a fall rather than improvement in results, she said.

Mr Blunkett had been reported as being willing to resign if results fell, she went on.

"I'll give myself a chance to do the job before I resign," Mr Blunkett retorted.

He said Labour was tackling failures left behind by the Tories. They would transform "abysmal" results they inherited in numeracy into a "triumph" for children.