# Vera Southgate

Vera Southgate (10 March 1916 – 23 March 1995) was a British educationalist who dedicated herself to improving how children were taught to read English from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, a period when many different methods were practised, including the initial teaching alphabet, phonics, and whole language.
Vera Southgate was a prolific author of academic papers, developed the Southgate reading tests, and even served on the Bullock government inquiry. She also evaluated the initial teaching alphabet on behalf of the British government. Her final major research project was a five-year study aimed at improving the reading skills of older children. The resulting publication, Extended Beginning Reading, won the UK Reading Association's Book of the Year award.
Vera Southgate wrote over fifty primers and reading books, often included in basal reading schemes. These books provided a structured, step-by-step approach to teaching children to read. She gained widespread recognition for the Well Loved Tales, a Ladybird-graded reading book series, which sold 80 million copies but reached a much larger audience through schools and libraries.
Thanks to her contributions, Vera Southgate was named the 7th president of the United Kingdom Reading Association and was posthumously inducted into the association's Hall of Fame.

## Personal life

Vera Pigg was born on March 10, 1916, in County Durham. Along with her sister Mary, she trained and became a teacher. In 1942, she married Arthur Southgate and stopped teaching to become a housewife. Unfortunately, Arthur died in 1948, leaving Vera a widow at the young age of 32. She returned to work and moved to Manchester, where she met Douglas Thomas Booth. They got married in 1961, and Vera became known as Vera Southgate-Booth. However, she continued to publish under her widowed name and was publicly known as Mrs Vera Southgate. Vera had no children, but she had a close relationship with her sister and her nephews. Her nephews often visited her at her holiday home in Llanbedrog, where she read to them from the Ladybird Well Loved Tales, which she had retold. In 1980–81, Vera retired to the coast with her husband at Sidmouth in Devon. After Douglas died in 1986, Vera returned to County Durham to be with her extended family. She eventually died on March 23, 1995, in Consett, County Durham.

## Teaching

After her initial schooling, Vera Southgate trained as a teacher and by 1939 had taken up a teaching post in Seaham, County Durham. From this start, Vera went on to teach at infant, junior, secondary, and special schools which provided her with a broad experience of teaching children.
Having established a base of sound teaching experience, Vera went back to furthering her education by attending Birmingham University where she initially studied for a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in social studies then followed up with a Master of Arts (MA) in Education. Vera also acquired a Diploma in Psychology (Dip Psych)
These qualifications enabled her to become the Head of the Remedial Education service which enhanced her experience and reputation even further allowing her entry into academia.

## Academic career

By 1957, Southgate had taken up a post as a lecturer in curriculum development at the School of Education at the University of Manchester, where she initially focused in the organisation of teacher training for teachers already in-service at Primary Schools.
Over her academic career Vera specialised in the pedagogy of reading, by 1969 her research had already been published in several books and over 70 papers in learned journals, the major works are listed below. Vera also extensively lectured on this subject both in the UK and abroad, including international conferences.
On her retirement in 1980, Vera Southgate donated her library of children's reading books, a collection of 2,589 books which Vera had accumulated over her two decades of study, to the John Rylands University Library of Manchester.
Vera Southgate continued to be accredited in academic publications for work previously done and she also continued to publish and speak until 1986, as detailed: –

## Published academic works

The major academic works authored or co-authored by Vera Southgate were: –
* 1959;- Southgate Group Reading Tests (supplemented by a Manual of Instructions) by Vera Southgate, London: University of London Press
* 1969;- i.t.a.: an independent evaluation by F. W. Warburton and Vera Southgate – London, J. Murray
* 1970;- Reading - which approach? by Vera Southgate and Geoffrey R. Roberts, London: University of London Press
* 1972;- Beginning Reading by Southgate, Vera, London: University of London Press
* 1981;- Extending beginning reading by Vera Southgate; Helen Arnold; Sandra Johnson; Schools Council (Great Britain), London: Published for the Schools Council by Heinemann Educational Books
* 1983;- Planning for Reading Success; - Children who do read (Book 1) by Vera Southgate
* 1984;- Planning for Reading Success; - Reading: teaching for learning (Book 2) by Vera Southgate
Vera Southgate prolifically published academic articles and papers in education journals with the more noteworthy listed: -
* 1958;- The construction and applicability of a group reading test for children of low reading ability by Vera Southgate, University of Birmingham M.A.
* 1963;- Augmented roman alphabet experiment an outsider's report, by Vera Southgate, article in Educational Review (1963 November)
* 1965;- Approaching i.t.a. results with caution, Vera Southgate article in Educational Research (1965 Feb)
* 1967;- A few comments on ‘reading drive, by Vera Southgate, an article published in Educational Research (1967 Feb)
* 1967;- Variables affecting aesthetic appreciation, in relation to age, by E E Rump; Vera Southgate, Article published in British Journal of Educational Psychology (1967 Feb)
* 1968;- Identifying Major Problems in Reading in England, by Vera Southgate, an article published in: Int Reading Assn Conf Proc Pt 1, v13 n863-70
* 1968;- Formulae for beginning reading tuition by Vera Southgate, an article in Publication: Educational Research, v11 n1 (1968 November): 23–30
* 1970;- i.t.a.: what is the evidence? a book for parents and teachers. by Vera Southgate
* 1972;- Literacy at all levels: proceedings of the eighth annual conference of the United Kingdom Reading Association, Manchester 1971, by Vera Southgate
* 1973;- How important is the infant reading scheme? by Vera Southgate; Christine Y Lewis, an article in publication; Literacy, v7 n2 (1973 June): 4-13
* 1973;- The Language Arts in Informal British Primary Schools by Vera Southgate, an article in publication; The Reading Teacher, v26 n4 (1973): 367-373
* 1973;- Reading: three to thirteen by Vera Southgate, an Article in Publication: Education 3–13, vol.1 no.1 (1973 April): Pages 47–52
* 1977;- Beginning Reading in England by Southgate, Vera,
* 1986;- Resources for reading : does quality count? by United Kingdom Reading Association including contributions from Vera Southgate

## Career highlights

The major academic highlights of Vera Southgate's career were: –

### Notable Speeches

* 1966 – Vera Southgate was a speaker at the 1st International Congress on Reading in Paris held by the International Reading Association and UNESCO
* 1968 – Vera Southgate was a speaker at the 2nd International Congress on Reading in Copenhagen held by the International Reading Association and UNESCO
* 1971 – Vera Southgate was inaugurated as the 7th president of the UK Reading Association during its congress in Manchester in which the Education Secretary, the Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher M.P. gave a keynote speech
* 1986 – Vera Southgate gave the plenary address at the World Reading Congress in the Institute of Education, London which was her last speech

### Southgate Group Reading Tests

Between 1957 and 1962, Vera Southgate developed the Southgate group reading tests, which were noteworthy for their ability to identify backward readers. The Southgate group reading tests consisted of the following: –
* Test 1 – Word Selection consisting of forms A, B and C and a manual of instruction
* Test 2 – Sentence Completion consisting of forms A and B and a manual of instruction
These were famously used in the National Child Development Study (a longitudinal study), where the tests were applied on the sample children born in 1958, when they reached age seven in 1965.
Vera Southgate was a staunch advocate of testing and monitoring levels of attainment in reading and was accredited by the James report (1972) for her work in measuring incidents of reading failure, which had led to the Lord James's enquiry into teacher education and teacher training.

### Initial teaching alphabet

When the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.) was launched, it was the London Institute of Education which spun up the "Reading Research Unit" under the leadership of Dr. John Downing to carryout the original studies, whereas Manchester University with its esteemed School of Education which Vera Southgate was a part had remained on the sidelines, as such Vera Southgate simply observed the progress of the experiment and wrote two papers on her thoughts: –
* Augmented roman alphabet experiment an outsider's report, by Vera Southgate, article in Educational Review (1963 November)
* Approaching i.t.a. results with caution, Vera Southgate article in Educational Research (1965 Feb)
As the i.t.a. was initially a spectacular success, its usage expanded rapidly through the UK and across the English speaking world through the early 1960s, this was done in parallel to seventeen research studies which measured the performance of the i.t.a. By 1966, the Ministry of Education through the Schools Council, undertook an independent evaluation of the i.t.a. and all the published research to-date. As the London Institute of Education had been intricately involved in some of the major studies to-date, it fell on Manchester University to provide the independent & objective assessors, consequently Professor Frank (Francis) Warburton of Experimental Education and Vera Southgate were engaged to carryout the government assessment. The evaluation took place from 1966 to 1967 and the report was compiled in 1968 and published in 1969. Unfortunately Professor Frank Warburton died shortly after completing their assessment so leaving Vera Southgate as one of the pre-eminent independent academic authorities on the i.t.a.

### Reading – which approach?

In 1970, Vera Southgate wrote a book in collaboration with Geoffrey R. Roberts, to help teachers to select an appropriate method and reading materials to use in classrooms to teach children to read. The book compared the major methods available at the time: – Phonics, Look & Say & others such as the initial teaching alphabet. The authors argued that the choice of method was situational and dependent on factors such as the teacher's own style and philosophy on teaching. The book defined a framework whereby a teacher could apply a set of criteria to assess the different methods & materials available including basal reading schemes and then choose the most appropriate.

### Beginning Reading

In 1972, Vera Southgate published a collection of her most important articles and papers to-date in this book. Half the original book (chapters 5–8) was dedicated to the topical initial teaching alphabet, with the remainder socialising the following papers: -
* Approaches to Beginning Reading in Great Britain
* Selecting an Approach to Teaching Reading
* The Importance of Structure in Beginning Reading
* Early Reading
* Formulae for Beginning Reading Tuition

### Bullock Inquiry

In 1972, Margaret Thatcher, the Education Secretary set-up a committee of inquiry into the teaching in the schools of reading and the other uses of English under the Chairmanship of Sir Alan Bullock. Vera Southgate as one of the leading British experts in the field was invited to join the committee. She sat on the committee from 1972 until 1975 when the final report was published and presented to Reg Prentice. The recommendations included systematic testing to monitor levels of literacy attained, substantial improvements to teacher training with the opportunity of more advanced new courses and qualifications in English and intervention programmes to help failing pupils.

### Extended beginning reading

In 1973, the Schools Council funded Vera Southgate to lead a team of four researchers at the School of Education in the University of Manchester, to help children of seven years and older improve their reading skills. The research team took half a decade and completed their work in 1977, publishing in 1981 and in so doing won the UK Reading Association book of the year. During the study, Vera used her own Southgate group reading tests to measure the performance of different cohorts of children. The study and final publication were noteworthy for its emphasis on the reading environment, comparing reading aloud with silent reading.

### United Kingdom Reading Association

Between 1970 and 1971, Vera Southgate held the prestigious post of the seventh president of the United Kingdom Reading Association, now known as the United Kingdom Literacy Association. In 1998, Vera was posthumously elected to the associations hall of fame.

## Children's Literature

As an academic expert on teaching children to read, Vera Southgate authored or co-authored primers and other books used by children to learn to read, these were often part of basal reading schemes. Vera Southgate would often collaborate with a children's author called John Havenhand who would write the storyline whilst Vera herself would systematically design the word sequence to enable a child to learn to read as easily as possible.

### The Sounds & Words reading scheme

In 1959, Vera Southgate collaborated with John Havenhand to produce an initial six book reading scheme called Sounds and Words: –
Sounds & Words Basal Reading Scheme :
| No. | Year | Title | Authors |
| #1 | 1959 | Sounds & Words – Book 1 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #2 | 1959 | Sounds & Words - Book 2 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #3 | 1959 | Sounds & Words - Book 3 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #4 | 1959 | Sounds & Words – Book 4 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #5 | 1959 | Sounds & Words – Book 5 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #6 | 1959 | Sounds & Words - Book 6 | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #7 | 1959 | Sounds & Words – Teachers Book | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
The book series was originally published in 1960 by University of London Press then re-published in 1974 by Hodder & Stoughton Educational of Dunton Green
Subsequently, in 1968, Vera Southgate wrote some further supplementary readers for the scheme: –
* The Five Fat Sisters (1967)
* The Biggest Meat Pie (1967)

### Ladybird's People at Work

The majority of Vera Southgate's work was published by Ladybird Books, between 1962 and 1974, in the easy reading series given the reference 606 by Ladybird Books.
Between 1962 & 1965, Vera Southgate wrote four books of the initial nineteen in the people at work easy reading series (606D) to encourage reading practice prior to a child attaining fluency.
Ladybird – People at Work Series 606B :
| Grade | No. | Year | Title | Authors |
| Easy Reading | #01 | 1962 | The Fireman | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| Easy Reading | #02 | 1962 | The Policeman | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| Easy Reading | #03 | 1963 | The Nurse | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| Easy Reading | #07 | 1965 | The Postman and the Postal Service | Vera Southgate |

### Ladybird's Games

In 1964, Vera Southgate wrote both books of the Sports (aka Games) easy reading series (606C)
Ladybird – Sports aka Games Series 606C :
| Grade | No. | Year | Title | Genre |
| Easy Reading | #01 | 1964 | The Story of Cricket | Factual |
| Easy Reading | #02 | 1964 | The Story of Football | Factual |

### Ladybird's Well Loved Tales

Vera Southgate is most famously remembered as the re-teller of the Ladybird Books graded reading scheme; – Well Loved Tales which had global sales of upwards of 80 million, albeit the true readership was larger because such books were often present in libraries and schools. This popularity made Vera Southgate a household name in the second half of the 20th century. Vera wrote the original 27 retold tales between 1964 and 1974, but the series was such a success that Ladybird then extended the series with 19 additional books between 1979 and 1988, but the extended series used different authors to Vera Southgate.
In order to develop reading abilities in children, Vera often picked old fables and cumulative tales whose repetitive nature helped early grade 1 readers to learn before moving onto more complex fairy tales for grade 2 and 3 readers.
The books in the Well Loved Tales series retold by Vera Southgate are listed below: -
Ladybird – Well Loved Tales Series 606D :
| Grade | No. | Year | Title | Genre |
| Grade 1 | #01 | 1965 | The Elves and the Shoemaker | Fairy tale |
| Grade 1 | #02 | 1965 | The Three Little Pigs | Fable |
| Grade 1 | #03 | 1966 | The Gingerbread Boy | Folk tale |
| Grade 1 | #04 | 1966 | The Little Red Hen | Fable |
| Grade 1 | #05 | 1967 | The Princess and the Pea | Fairy tale |
| Grade 1 | #06 | 1968 | The Sly Fox and the Little Red Hen | Fable |
| Grade 1 | #07 | 1968 | The Three Billy Goats Gruff | Fable |
| Grade 1 | #08 | 1969 | Chicken Licken | Fable |
| Grade 1 | #09 | 1970 | The Enormous Turnip | Folk tale |
| Grade 1 | #10 | 1971 | Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Fairy tale |
| Grade 1 | #11 | 1971 | The Magic Porridge Pot | Fairy tale |
| Grade 1 | #12 | 1972 | The Big Pancake | Folk tale |
| Grade 1 | #13 | 1973 | The Old Woman and her Pig | Nursery Rhyme |
| Grade 2 | #01 | 1965 | Sleeping Beauty | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #02 | 1966 | Dick Wittington and his Cat | Folk tale |
| Grade 2 | #03 | 1967 | Puss in Boots | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #04 | 1968 | Rumpelstiltskin | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #05 | 1968 | Rapunzel | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #06 | 1969 | The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #07 | 1972 | Little Red Riding Hood | Fairy tale |
| Grade 2 | #08 | 1974 | The Musicians of Bremen | Fairy tale |
| Grade 3 | #01 | 1968 | Beauty and the Beast | Fairy tale |
| Grade 3 | #02 | 1964 | Cinderella | Folk tale |
| Grade 3 | #03 | 1965 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Fairy tale |
| Grade 3 | #04 | 1973 | The Princess and the Frog | Fairy tale |
| Grade 3 | #05 | 1969 | Snow White and Rose Red | Fairy tale |
| Grade 3 | #06 | 1969 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Fairy tale |

### Penny the Poodle

In 1964, Vera Southgate again collaborated with John Havenhand to write five of the six books in the "Penny the Poodle" series of children's fictional reading books which was published by E.J. Arnold & Son in Leeds and illustrated by Patricia McGrogan.
Penny the Poodle Series :
| No. | Year | Title | Authors |
| #01 | 1964 | Penny in the Pet Shop | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #02 | 1964 | Penny's New Home | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #03 | 1964 | Penny in Trouble | Vera Southgate & John Havenhand |
| #04 | 1964 | Penny at the Poodle Parlour | Vera Southgate |
| #05 | 1964 | Penny at the Seaside | John Havenhand |
| #06 | 1964 | Penny at the Dog Show | Vera Southgate |

### First Words

In 1968, Vera Southgate wrote a series of twelve illustrated books with brief captions intended to teach kindergarten children to read their first words, the series was published by Macmillan
First Words Series :
| Volume | Year | Title | Author |
| Volume 1 | 1968 | First Words: Martin's Toys | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 2 | 1968 | First Words: Jill's Toys | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 3 | 1968 | First Words: Martin & Jill | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 4 | 1968 | First Words: Boys & Girls | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 5 | 1968 | First Words: People | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 6 | 1968 | First Words: School | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 7 | 1968 | First Words: Dogs | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 8 | 1968 | First Words: Pets | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 9 | 1968 | First Words: In the Country | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 10 | 1968 | First Words: The Street | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 11 | 1968 | First Words: Clothes | Vera Southgate |
| Volume 12 | 1968 | First Words: Colours | Vera Southgate |

## Citations

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brooks 2021, p. 1.2, Paragraph 2 – Description of Vera Southgate's Personal Life.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Teaching, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors- "Vera Southgate originally trained as a teacher and taught in infant, junior, secondary and special schools"
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Education, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors- "studying at Birmingham University for the degree of BCom (Social Studies) and MA (Education)"
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Inside Back Cover – Author Title- About the Author – "Mrs Vera Southgate, MA, BCom, Dip Psych"
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Remedial Education, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors- "She was head of remedial education for a number of years"
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Position, Inside Back Cover- "Lecturer in Curriculum Development, School of Education, University of Manchester"
* ↑ Brooks 2021, p. 2.1, Paragraph 4 – Academic Career.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Early Academic Speciality, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors, taking up her present post at Manchester University in 1960, where her main concern is the organisation of courses of in-service training for teachers in primary schools.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Research, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors, Her publications in the field of reading, which number over 70, include articles in learned journals.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. Lectures, Inside Back Cover – About the AuthorsShe [Vera Southgate] has lectured extensively on reading in Britain and abroad and read papers at... conferences.
* ↑ "John Rylands – University Library of Manchester – Librarian's Report – Session 1979 – 1980" (PDF). eScholar Manchaester University. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-12Donations and deposits{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1959). Southgate Group Reading Tests. London: University of London Press. OCLC 751829632.
* ↑ Warburton, Francis William; Southgate, Vera (1969). I.t.a.: an Independent Evaluation. J. Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-1935-2.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Roberts, Geoffrey (1970). Reading: Which Approach? (1st ed.). London: University of London Press. ISBN 0340118520.
* 1 2 Southgate, Vera (1972). Beginning Reading. University of London Press. ISBN 978-0-340-15761-9.
* 1 2 Southgate, Vera; Arnold, Helen; Johnson, Sandra (1981). Extending Beginning Reading. Schools Council. ISBN 978-0-435-10821-2.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1983). Planning for Reading Success: Children who do read. Book 1. Macmillan Education. ISBN 978-0-333-34693-8.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1984). Reading: Teaching for Learning. Macmillan Education. ISBN 978-0-333-34695-2.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1958). The construction and applicability of a group reading test for children of low reading ability (Thesis). OCLC 911163694.
* 1 2 Southgate, Vera (1963-11-01). "Augmented Roman Alphabet Experiment an Outsider's Report". Educational Review. 16 (1): 32–41. doi:10.1080/0013191630160104. ISSN 0013-1911 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
* 1 2 Southgate, Vera (1965-02-01). "Approaching i.t.a. results with caution". Educational Research. 7 (2): 83–96. doi:10.1080/0013188650070201. ISSN 0013-1881 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1967-02-01). "A Few Comments on 'Reading Drive'". Educational Research. 9 (2): 145–146. doi:10.1080/0013188670090209. ISSN 0013-1881.
* ↑ Rump, E. E.; Southgate, Vera (1967). "Variables Affecting Aesthetic Appreciation, in Relation to Age". British Journal of Educational Psychology. 37 (1): 58–72. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1967.tb01902.x. PMID 6037951.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). "Identifying Major Problems in Reading in England". Int Reading Assn Conf Proc Pt 1.
* 1 2 Southgate, Vera (1968-11-01). "Formulae for Beginning Reading Tuition". Educational Research. 11 (1): 23–30. doi:10.1080/0013188680110104. ISSN 0013-1881.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1970). I.t.a.: what is the Evidence?: A Book for Parents and Teachers. Chambers, Murray. ISBN 978-0-550-20217-8.
* ↑ Association, United Kingdom Reading (1972). Literacy at All Levels: Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Study Conference of the United Kingdom Reading Association, Manchester 1971. Ward, Lock & Co. ISBN 978-0-7062-3099-4.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Lewis, Christine Y. (1973). "How important is the infant reading scheme?". Literacy. 7 (2): 4–13. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9345.1973.tb00445.x. ISSN 1741-4350.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1973). "The Language Arts in Informal British Primary Schools". The Reading Teacher. 26 (4): 367–373. ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20193230.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1973-04-01). "Reading: three to thirteen". Education 3–13. 1 (1): 47–52. doi:10.1080/03004277308558802. ISSN 0300-4279.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1977). Beginning Reading in England.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1977). Beginning Reading in England. OCLC 425171032.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1977). Beginning Reading in England. Washington, D.C.: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
* ↑ Conference, United Kingdom Reading Association (1986). Resources for Reading: Does Quality Count? : Proceedings of the Twenty-second Annual Course and Conference of the United Kingdom Reading Association, University of Reading, July 1985. Macmillan.
* 1 2 Warburton 1969, p. Conferences, Inside Back Cover – About the Authors, and read papers at the 1st and 2nd World Reading Conferences in Paris in 1966 and in Copenhagen in 1967
* 1 2 Brooks 2021, p. 1.1, Paragraph 1 – Career Highlights.
* ↑ Shepherd 1995, p. 8, Tests of Attainment, at Seven: – Southgate Reading Test, Southgate Reading Test (Southgate 1962) – a test of word recognition and comprehension particularly suited to identifying backward readers.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1959). Southgate Group Reading Tests: Word Selection Test. Word selection test. forms A, B and C. Test 1 (forms A, B and C). Test 1. Hodder and Stoughton.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1959). Southgate Group Reading Tests. Manual of Instructions. Test 1 (2.).
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1962). Southgate Group Reading Tests: Tests 2, Sentence Completion Test. Hodder and Stoughton.
* ↑ "Reviews". The Slow Learning Child. 10 (1): 54. 1963-07-01. doi:10.1080/0156655630100109. ISSN 0037-704X.
* ↑ "NCDS – Age 7 – Southgate Group Reading Test". CLOSER. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
* ↑ Maclure, Stuart (2005). Educational Documents: 1816 to the present day (5th ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-415-38289-2.
* ↑ Downing, John; Latham, William (1967). "III – The Initial Teaching Alphabet – Background & Description". Evaluating the Initial Teaching Alphabet (1st ed.). London: Cassell. pp. 80–81. The London University, Institute of Education were prepared to conduct a scientifically controlled experiment to test the effectiveness of the i.t.a.for beginning reading, and the Reading Research Unit was formed for this purpose.
* ↑ Harrison 1968, p. 34, "there are 4,000 schools in Britain alone using the i.t.a. and more than 17,000 outside of Britain"
* ↑ Warburton 1969, pp. 198–199, Chapter 17 – Summary of Individual Researches.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. 2, Chapter I – Introduction – III The scope of this evaluation.
* ↑ Warburton 1969, p. 3, Chapter I – Introduction, IV Carrying out the brief.
* ↑ Mr. John Tilney 1969, p. Initial Teaching Alphabet – Parliamentary Debate, I am sure that the House would wish to express to Mrs. Warburton and her family our sincere condolences on her husband's so sudden death.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Roberts, Geoffrey R. (1970). Reading – which approach?. London: University of London Press. ISBN 978-0-340-11852-8.
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Purpose, Reading – which approach?,"The purpose of this book is to help teachers to select reading materials and equipment for classroom use."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Part 3, Reading – which approach -, "nine current approaches to reading are examined and divided into three main divisions of look-and-say, phonic, and use of other media, including the Initial Teaching Alphabet"
* 1 2 OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Conclusion, Reading – which approach?, "The authors concluded that no one approach to reading can be considered as the ideal choice in every situation, but that the teacher who has considered the criteria of selection and made the necessary decisions as suggested should succeed in selecting the most appropriate approach for her use."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Part Two, Beginning Reading, "Part Two of the book, chapters five through eight, is concerned with the augmented alphabet and with I.T.A."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Intro, Beginning Reading, "From among the papers the author has presented at various conferences and the articles she has written for different journals, nine were selected to form this book. They are all concerned with beginning reading, and each forms a chapter of the book."
* ↑ Goodacre, Elizabeth J. (May 1973). "Beginning reading by Vera Southgate (Book Review)". Research in Education (9): 100. doi:10.1177/003452377300900113. S2CID 188371423. ProQuest 1307447168.
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Chapter One, Beginning Reading, ""Approaches to Beginning Reading in Great Britain," discusses background factors, beginning reading in practice, and the results of approaches to beginning reading."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Chapter Two, Beginning Reading, "Selecting an Approach to Teaching Reading, deals with teachers' interest in new approaches, criteria for judging new approaches, and deciding if a new approach is necessary."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Chapter Three, Beginning Reading, "The Importance of Structure in Beginning Reading, addresses reading in progressive infant classes and the need for structure."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Chapter Four, Beginning Reading, "The arguments for and against early reading instruction are presented in Chapter four, Early Reading."
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. Chapter Nine, Beginning Reading, "Formulae for Beginning Reading Tuition, discusses terminology, reading progress, and implications for future research."
* 1 2 "Bullock Report (1975)". www.educationengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
* ↑ OCLC WorldCat Identities 2022, p. 1, Extending Beginning Reading, emphasizes the growing importance of the reading environment and investigates this environment in eight schools.
* ↑ Brooks 2021, p. 2, Remanences of Roger Bear, Colin Harrison and Sandra Johnson, its findings provided evidence discrediting the practice of reading aloud. The project did much to encourage uninterrupted reading aloud.
* ↑ Brooks 2021, p. 1, Paragraph 2 – Personal Life.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1974-01-01). Sounds and Words Stories 1 D. Hodder General Publishing Division. ISBN 978-0-340-07860-0.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1974). Sounds and Words – Book 2 (2nd ed.). Hodder & Stoughton Educational Division. ISBN 978-0340078808.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1960). Sounds and Words - Book 3. University of London P.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1960). Sounds and Words – Book 4. University of London Press.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1974). Sounds and Words: Book 5. Hodder Education Group. ISBN 978-0-340-07883-9.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1974). Sounds and Words: Book six / V. Southgate and J. Havenhand. University of London Press.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, J. (1959). Sounds and Words: Teacher's book. University of London Press.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, J (1960). Sounds and words. University of London P. OCLC 643650684.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1967). The Five Fat Sisters. Sounds and Words – Supplementary Reader.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1967). The Biggest Meat Pie. Sounds and Words – Supplementary Reader.
* ↑ Ladybird Fly Away Home 2020, pp. 8–11.
* ↑ Johnson & Alderson 2014, p. 93, describes the people at work – easy reading series
* ↑ Johnson & Alderson 2014, pp. 174–175, lists Vera Southgate as author of the four "people at work" books
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, John (1962). The Fireman. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Havenhand, Ina; Southgate, Vera; Haverhand, John (1962). The Policeman. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, John; Havenhand, Ina (1963). The Nurse. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1965). The Postman and the Postal Service. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Johnson & Alderson 2014, p. 175, lists Vera Southgate as author of both books in the Sports 606C series
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1964). The Story of Cricket. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1964). The Story of Football. Wills & Hepworth.
* 1 2 Ladybird Fly Away Home 2020, pp. 10–11.
* ↑ SOUTHGATE, Vera (1965). The Elves and the Shoemaker. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ SOUTHGATE, Vera (1965). The Three Little Pigs. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ SOUTHGATE, Vera (1966). The Gingerbread Boy. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1966). The Little Red Hen. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1967). "The Princess And The Pea (Well Loved Tales)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). The Sly Fox and the Little Red Hen. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0220-8.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). The Three Billy Goats Gruff: Retold by Vera Southgate. Ladybird.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1969). Chicken licken. Ladybird.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1970). The Enormous Turnip. Ladybird Books.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1971). Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0269-7.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1971). The Magic Porridge Pot. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0295-6.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1972). The Big Pancake. Ladybird. ISBN 978-0-7214-0311-3.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1973). The Old Woman and Her Pig. Ladybird.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1965). Sleeping Beauty. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1966). Dick Whittington and His Cat. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0082-2.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1967). Puss in Boots. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0086-0.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). "Rumpelstiltskin". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1968). Rapunzel. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0221-5.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Grimm, Wilhelm K.; Grimm, Jacob (1969). Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Ladybird. ISBN 978-0-7214-0240-6.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1972). Little Red Riding Hood. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0271-0.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1974). The Musicians of Bremen. Ladybird Books. ISBN 978-0-7214-0384-7.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). Beauty and the Beast. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1964). Cinderella. Retold by Vera Southgate ... With Illustrations by Eric Winter. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1965). Jack and the Beanstalk. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1973). The Princess and the Frog. Ladybird.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1969). Snow-White and Rose-Red. Ladybird Books.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1969). Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs. Wills & Hepworth.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, John (1964). Penny the Poodle: Penny at the poodle parlour. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, John (1964). Penny's New Home. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera; Havenhand, John (1964). Penny in Trouble. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1964). Penny at the Poodle Parlour. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ Havenhand, John (1964). Penny at the Seaside, Etc. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1964). Penny at the Dog Show. Edward Arnold.
* ↑ The Education Gazette. Vol. 63. Department of Education. 1969. p. 264.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words – Volume 1. Macmillan.
* ↑ Sothgate, Vera. "First Words – Book 2". www.bookdepository.com. Macmillan. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Martin & Jill. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Boys & Girls. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: People. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: School. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Dogs. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Pets. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: In the Country. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: The street. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Clothes. Macmillan.
* ↑ Southgate, Vera (1968). First Words: Colours. Macmillan.