That definitely makes sense to me Philip Howell, so much of what was good & successful has been thrown out, & the replacement never properly evaluated.

The old rote learning is similarly denigrated, however, 67 years since I was effectively chanting my multiplication tables daily, I still know that 6 X 8 is 48, without having to work for it. The knowledge is just there, & always will be.

The progressives threw out all the good, with no real knowledge that what they were replacing it with would work. Now we have a whole couple of generations of teachers who have to find a calculator to answer 6X8, & actually believe that is OK.

My kids thought my mental arithmetic ability was amazing, where it is just normal for my generation

Yes, rote learning works particularly well for basic number facts like times tables. I still recall mine easily. But I had to drill my sons in them while we cycled to school, because the method was no longer in favour. Rote learning is only a problem when taken to excess. (Mind you, I don't know what the research says on this.)

Kids become good readers from reading, the school gives them the basics but the family gives them the encouragement.and that is where reading is born.