Am I right in thinking a school should have a phonics based reading scheme?

[Namechangenurseryconcerns]

Parents evening last night-ds (reception) doing well. Can blend cvc and read simple sentences. Tentatively asked when we might get a reading book alongside/rather than phonics worksheets /'picture cards' to discuss and was told that they don't really have books that can be phonetically decoded.
They have banded books-dreaded ORT, ginn etc but these aren't decodable to those in the first phases of phonics.
This is poor right? We have the songbirds books at home and will continue reading these ( teacher was happy with this) but what about the rest of the children?
Could someone in the know link me some requirements so I can make a polite fuss /help them with funding if necessary?

Not sure how you reconcile that theory with the introduction of a new National Curriculum. If your theory is correct it would be easier and cheaper to have just scrapped the curriculum.
As Feenie mentioned academies and free schools while not being required to follow the national curriculum do have to administer SATs and the PSC so would be foolish not to teach the content

Academies dont have to teach the national curriculum.
We want all schools to become academies.
National curriculum wont be used.

That is exactly how it is.

One of the reasons schools become academies is that they dont have to follow the curriculum. Lots of people dont just blindly follow something

We have a statutory national curriculum and statutory tests based on that curriculum that is exactly how it is.

TeacherBob do you teach in an academy?

But the curriculum is only statutory for maintained schools. In actual fact delivery of the national curriculum and participation in the national curriculum tests and phonics screen is not statutory for academies and free schools. The participation of these schools is a contractual requirement imposed (usually) through an academy's funding agreement.

Of course academies and free schools can be considered to, in practice, be required to deliver the nat curriculum and follow the phonics fast and first guidance. But technically, no they don't have to. If they can get their kids through the screen and SATs without, they do not have to follow it to the letter. Whether that's practical or achievable is a different issue but teacher bob is broadly correct I think.

Yes mrz I do. Not sure how that impacts on the discussion though

"actual fact delivery of the national curriculum and participation in the national curriculum tests and phonics screen is not statutory for academies and free schools. "

Partly true ...they don't have to deliver the curriculum but they do have to administer the tests and phonic screening check.

No, you are wrong Mrs. There is no statutory requirement to administer the tests in academies and free schools. Here is confirmation from the 2016 ARA guidance:

"An academy’s funding agreement may say that they will follow guidance issued by the Secretary of State in relation to assessments of pupils’ performance. If so, they must comply with the ARA.

The KS1 assessment and reporting arrangements are only applicable if they provide education to pupils at this stage of learning.

Academies are not required to follow the national curriculum. They need to teach a broad and balanced curriculum which, as a term of their funding agreement, includes English, mathematics
and science. (For AP academies, this only includes English and mathematics.)

The funding agreement means that they must comply with statutory assessments on the same basis as maintained schools."

this does not mean NC tests are statutory for academies. They are not acting unlawfully if they don't deliver them. They would need to be taken to task under the terms of their contract. That's the whole basis of academies. Much (but not all) of education statute does not apply to them.

"All pupils enrolled at maintained schools and maintained special schools who will have completed the KS2 programme of study in the 2015 to 2016 school year and all eligible pupils enrolled at academies must be registered for the national curriculum tests. This includes pupils that are working below the standard of the tests and ultimately don’t take them and pupils that are working at the standard but can’t access the tests."

It gets you off the hook for being unfamiliar with the statutory curriculum TeacherBob

I wasn't aware I was on the hook.

And I am familiar with it :p

Yes but that is not the same thing as saying that participation is statutory. That has a particular meaning (as in, it is prescribed by law). The difference between statutory education law provisions and contractual provisions in academies' funding agreements is important to understand.

There is also the possibility that academies could be set up without the clause requiring them to participate in ARA. Whether there are any I don't know (and it's hard to see how this would fit with the Government's commitment to SATs/ Phonics screen). But the possibility is there.

2017 ARA "The arrangements apply to maintained schools, maintained special schools, academies, free schools, Service Children’s Education (SCE) schools and participating independent schools with pupils in KS2."

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/561720/20177KS1ARAAv1.0.pdf

Yes. they apply. Through academies' funding agreements. Arrrrgh! Not through statute! Academies are NOT required education statute to participate in ARA. It sounds like a technical difference but it's actually pretty important if you're talking about what academies are and are not required to do. For one thing, funding agreements are a helluva lot easier to change than statute.

But I will leave it there as I'm not sure we're getting any further ahead here and seem to have dragged the thread off track.

.

One final (!) thing...

Reception classes are covered by the EYFS and not by the national curriculum. EYFS has a different status in academies to the national curriculum and associated tests and assessments.

Yes EYFS is statutory for all schools including independent schools

In addition all schools including academies have a statutory duty to publish their phonic program and reading on their website

No such statutory duty. School information regulations don't apply to academies, only maintained schools.

Publishing that info might be a requirement of academies' funding agreements.

I just can't let it go can I?!?!!!
.

Really ?

Document called What maintained schools must publish on line.

Academies are not maintained schools. State-funded, yes, but not maintained.

Which is why there is separate guidance for academies.

I see the overuse of a phonic approach daily - appalling spelling!