Cracking the code

Even busy teachers won't have missed the rash of confusing media coverage following the Rose Report on the teaching of early reading and phonics. So what is Jim Rose, a former primary head, and HMI Director of Inspection at Ofsted, really proposing? And what are the implications for us in the classroom? Tom Moggach, a Year 1 teacher at a London primary, and Katy Kowalska, Foundation and KS1 leader at a school in Cambridge, met him to find out:

Tom: There has been a great deal of fuss in the media about your report.

Jim: It's not hugely radical or rocket science. It's about teaching the best way to crack the alphabetic code, sticking to it and keeping it simple for beginners.

Tom: So what exactly is changing from September?

Jim: The new literacy framework will offer the view that phonic work should be systematic, start by the age of five for most children, and be as close as possible to what is generally understood as 'synthetic phonics'. And this will be massively helped if we can develop speaking and listening more intensely across the curriculum.

Katy: Will we have to start with phonics by five, or is there going to be any flexibility?

Jim: It should always be a matter of professional judgement on the part of teachers. I say by five, because that's what's supported by the best practice we've seen.

Tom: I must admit, I'm confused about the different types of phonics. What does 'synthetic' mean?

Jim: This debate between 'synthetic' and 'analytic' phonics can be a distraction. Let's just call it high-quality phonic work. You systematically teach the children the 44 grapheme-phonemes relationships, and you do it incrementally, moving from the simple to the complex. The children learn the skill of blending — going through a word from start to finish — and how to spell a word by segmenting it into its letter sounds. Spelling is the reverse of reading.

Tom: And we teach this every day?

Jim: Little and often — perhaps 20 minutes a day at a brisk pace, with a mixture of whole class, group and paired or individual work. And embed the phonic work in a rich language environment.

Tom: Aren't the majority of teachers already doing this?

Jim: I wish I could agree. One of the problems is that children are often encouraged to guess words from pictures or context, or by remembering the shape of a word. Whereas what they should always be doing is applying a reliable phonic approach. Even irregular words have a phonic element.

Katy: So, is this a change to the 'searchlights' model of reading?

Jim: Yes. That model can be improved. There has been quite a lot of slipping and sliding with phonics. We have often seen the phonic component being taught as one of several options, rather than given priority.

Tom: Isn't it good practice to use a range of reading approaches?

Jim: Yes, but the phonic element isn't optional. It's an essential component that simply has to be learnt. And it's time-limited. Once children have learned to read, they can focus unhindered on comprehension.

Katy: Will there be changes to Progression in Phonics (PIPs) or Playing with Sounds?

Jim: I think so, yes. There are a few points in them that may need tweaking.

Tom: And what about the lists of high-frequency words?

Jim: Some of those lists may need to be reviewed. But I'm almost 100 per cent sure you won't find these changes overly demanding or complicated. The intention is to make phonic work for reading and writing more effective and straightforward to teach.

Words: Tom Moggach Pictures: Jack Barnes

For more info

• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary
• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/features/frameworks/
  consultation
• www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/rosereview
• Coming soon... Phonics in the literacy framework
  

Comment from Andrew Adonis

Andrew Adonis, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, says: "I've always said that the overriding priority for primary schools should be to ensure that all children, from the earliest age, are taught to read, write, count and calculate. We set up the Primary National Strategy (PNS) to help them do that.

"Jim Rose's review cuts through the debate about how to teach reading, and tells us very clearly what works best in the classroom. My job now is to make sure teachers have the support they need in order to teach high-quality phonic work. We've always updated the PNS to reflect the latest research and experience, and that's what we're doing now by renewing the frameworks for teaching literacy and maths. We'll make sure that the new literacy framework reflects Jim Rose's recommendations, and that other PNS materials on phonics are updated, too. There will also be training for teachers to help them make the most of these materials.

"The new frameworks will be more flexible and offer more opportunities for quick progression. There will be a new online version, with clear links to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Many teachers have helped us design the new frameworks. I hope that many more will take part in our consultation on them, so that the new frameworks work as well as possible when teachers start using them in September."

Ask questions and share ideas with Andrew Adonis in the NCSL hotseat 18-25 May at
www.ncsl.org.uk/talk2learn

Did you know...

84% of 11-year-olds reached the expected level for their age in reading last year, compared to 67% in 1997

This content was published in May 2006 and may not reflect current policy