So what is wrong with nonsense words and who the hell is David Reedy?

[hmc]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12509477

I think he is a nob end.

The purpose of nonsense words is surely
early diagnosis?

Literacy "expert" my arse!

I think you mean 'noob' end, hmc

The purpose of the phonic words check is two-fold: first, to ensure that children are being taught to decode grapheme by grapheme all-through-the-word and second, to make sure that those children who are dropping behind are picked up quickly and given extra help.

Finally,

A government that understands the stages children need to go through to learn to read properly! And to those who are phonics haters, read through the whole programme & you will find they do eventually get to the exceptions to the rules & foreign influenced words. I was never taught to read with phonics & I found teaching my daughter by this method has improved my spelling and understanding of language hugely.

Want to rant at my facebook friend who is an English teacher but very anti-phonics but am not brave enough, so I shall have to rant here instead!

Absolutely maverick - can't see why this so called 'literacy expert' would dismiss nonsense words as "bonkers".

Pugsandseals - I responded to a thread on fb yesterday (from a friend of a friend) where she and her cronies were dismissing this initiative based on....well their ignorance really. I had to delete my comment directly after posting it since I was a bit narky (dd is dyslexic, reads from 'memory' and can't decode and blend, hence the use of nonsense words etc may have helped identify her SpLd sooner)