I was a teacher at a time and place in which phonics was considered just one element of a varied program of readin instruction. Phonics had its place, certainly, but did not limit children to reading only books that are awkward, repetitive, and boring as hell fully decodable. Those resources were available to use with individual children who needed them, but most didn't. I personally believe it is much more important to foster a love of books and reading than to teach a set of rules that don't consistently apply in real-life text. In order to do that we need to present every kid with reading materials that s/he will find interesting, exciting, and fun. E.g., NOT Biff and Chip.
In my experience, the more balanced approach worked beautifully. Many of the children needed little or no direct instruction in phonics, particularly NT children of average or above-average intelligence who had been read to a lot from an early age. For children who struggled with achieving fluency or simply hadn't had as much early exposure to a wide variety of books and language, phonics was a very helpful tool.
The other BIG difference between my experience and the way things are done today in the UK is simply the age of the children being taught. My students didn't even start formal school until they were at least five, and they only did half days for the first year. There was lots of time at school for free play and exploration of art, music, health, and personal/social development, as well as a gentle introduction to basic academic concepts. We presented reading in a low-pressure way and tried our best to tailor it to each child's interests and ability. It was not considered a problem if a child wasn't really reading even at six. By seven, the vast, vast majority of children had caught up and were reading just as ably and fluently as my own UK-educated children and their peers did at the same age in the UK. I think the current heavy reliance on phonics is the result of trying to teach children to read before it is developmentally appropriate. Every child's brain works in its own unique way, and those who are ready to read at very early ages will do so on their own just from exposure to books and reading. That's what happened to my DD, who was reading fluently before she started reception. My DS, on the other hand, didn't really pick it up until he was around six, and the school was getting very concerned. Ultimately I do think he benefited quite a bit from phonics instruction. Now DD is 12 and DS is 10, and they are both excellent students. Most importantly, they LOVE to read.
So basically, OP, I don't think it's necessary at all.