Phonics and reading

[WinnieTheWilt]

Your HT announces that reading will be taught in the new curriculum using but not 'over emphasising' phonics, and refers to the searchlight model. How would you respond?

I'd despair.

I simply don't want my child taught by a method that has been shown again and again to fail more pupils than phonics.

Because it's better for the individual child that they learn well, and phonics is the centuries-old traditional method and it works for about 95% of children.

Other methods, or mixed methods work for about 80% of children.

Now, I don't know if my child would be in that 15% who find it harder when other methods are chosen. But even if not, being in a classroom where 20% struggle is probably quite a different experience from where 5% do.

A school teaching phonics properly in KS1 is one of my very few musts for a school. I would seriously consider moving schools if my child was still in infants.

What TeenandTween said. I'd be willing to accept some 'less than ideal' phonics teaching e.g. tricky words taught as sight words, but any mention of the searchlights strategies would be a big no.

I doubt there's much point in trying to convince the HT of any other approach.

I suppose you could consider complaining to Ofsted. They are supposed to be taking this issue seriously.

I teach there btw. I wouldn't send my child, no.

Point him/her in the direction of the Ofsted "Ready to Read" report on reading failure in Stoke schools www.gov.uk/government/publications/ready-to-read-how-a-sample-of-primary-schools-in-stoke-on-trent-teach-pupils-to-read