Her final major research project was a five-year study aimed at improving the reading skills of older children.

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.

[1] After her initial schooling, Vera Southgate trained as a teacher and by 1939 had taken up a teaching post in Seaham, County Durham.

[3] Vera also acquired a Diploma in Psychology (Dip Psych)[4] 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.

[8] 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,[9] the major works are listed below.

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,[44] as such Vera Southgate simply observed the progress of the experiment and wrote two papers on her thoughts: – 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,[45] this was done in parallel to seventeen research studies which measured the performance of the i.t.a.

[48] 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.

[52] 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.

[53] 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.

[15] Half the original book (chapters 5–8) was dedicated to the topical initial teaching alphabet,[54] with the remainder socialising the following papers: -[55][56] 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.

[62] 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.

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.