Children in England will have to master their times tables by the age of 8, and there will be more teaching of mental arithmetic, restrictions on the use of calculators and a new focus on maths as a tool for solving problems found in everyday life. Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, said that teachers would also be expected to return to a back-to-basics method teaching children to read, known as phonics. With one in five 11-year-olds still failing to reach the expected standard of literacy, is this a welcome move? Or are the reforms more about satisfying Government targets than giving children the best education? Read the article send us your view