Kelly announces changes to teaching of reading

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced that the government will be revising the statutory national curriculum in order to require children to be taught to read using the phonics method.

The Rose Review of the Teaching of Early Reading, whose final report was published today, recommended the use of phonics.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said that the report provided "a clear roadmap for reading which draws on the experience of teachers and experts to show that works best for children in the classroom." She said: "There have rapid improvements in children's literacy over the last seven years, but we know that one in five of our 11-year-olds still leave primary school without reaching the necessary standard in English. This is not acceptable and we must do more to help these children. This report gives us a clear strategy on how to drive forward further improvements.

"I am clear that synthetic phonics should be the first strategy in teaching all children to read. I want to be clear in the National Curriculum and we will now work with QCA on how best to do this."

Phonics teaches children to read by focusing on sounds, rather than trying to make children recognise whole words.

The method has already been endorsed by the Scottish Executive and is supported by the Conservatives. Shadow Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "There is clearly cross-party support in parliament for synthetic phonics to be incorporated into the national curriculum. Teaching children the sounds of letters and vowels and how to blend them into words, within the first few months of starting school, is what should be happening in all our primary schools."

The full Rose review, conducted by former Ofsted inspections director Jim Rose, built on December's interim report and recommended that most children should start to use phonics by the age of 5, while children who need extra help should receive extra catch-up support.

The report also said that headteachers should make sure that phonic work was given priority in the teaching of beginner readers and should also set ambitious targets for achievement in English at the end of Key Stage 2.

Mr Rose said: "At best our setting and schools embody the principles of such work within a language-rich curriculum that gives rise to high achievements in reading and writing. The challenge now is to ensure that in all settings and schools, the teaching and learning of early reading and writing in general and phonic work in particular measure up to this best practice."

Ms Kelly said that she accepted all the recommendations in the report and has launched a programme of training for teachers through the Primary National Strategy and changes to Initial Teacher Training led by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

(KMcA)