OXFORD’S bid to become the UNESCO World Book Capital will focus on boosting children’s literacy rates across the city.

The city is aiming to win the title in 2014, hosting a year-long festival of book-related events.

Organisers have told the Oxford Mail that central to the city’s bid, which is due to be submitted early next year, will be promises to boost Oxford’s low educational attainment.

Last year, the city’s seven-year-olds achieved the lowest marks in the country for reading and writing.

Children from Asian families and those receiving free school meals performed significantly worse than their classmates.

Jacqui Ibbotson, from Oxford Inspires, the cultural development agency behind the move, said the bid to UNESCO chiefs described the “tale of two cities” in Oxford.

She said: “It is absolutely central to the bid.”

She added: “We really want to concentrate on this literacy aspect.

“When we talk about the Oxford bid, people often assume we are just going to say how many published authors and how many publishers there are in the city, and the wonderful new buildings that are going to open. It is wonderful that Oxford has that resources, but the steering committee are very keen that the focus this year is to kickstart work to improve literacy rates which are struggling at the moment.”

While the title does not bring cash with it, Ms Ibbotson said it would generate income which could be used to launch a literacy drive across the city.

Central to the bid are plans to work intensively with about 10 city schools to boost attainment throughout the World Book Capital year, which would run from April 23, 2014, to April 22, 2015.

Ms Ibbotson said Oxford Inspires was currently working out the details of this support.

It will be designed to tie in with Oxfordshire County Council’s new education strategy.

County Hall bosses hope that successful schools will link up with weaker ones in “aspiration networks” to share best practice and improve performance.

The council wants to launch an Oxfordshire-wide Every Oxfordshire Child a Good Reader campaign in 2012 to start to address the low literacy rates.

The World Book Capital bid also includes plans to help all schools in Oxford and across the county access programmes and initiatives designed to boost literacy and reading.

Oxford Inspires is working with the National Literacy Trust and the Story Museum on programmes for schools.

The bid will be submitted next April, with Oxford learning next summer whether it has won the prestigious title.

If successful, the year will coincide with the opening of the new Bodleian Library exhibition centre and the Story Museum building.

Lynn Knapp, headteacher at 442-pupil Windmill Primary School in Headington, said: “It would be a wonderful if Oxford does win the bid and I would welcome anything that boosts literacy levels.

“Our literacy levels are above the national average, but I know this is an issue in the city.”