Despite the phonics programme's aim to empower young, would-be readers and writers, there remains unease that it will derail some children's progress towards becoming literate. Yet, this needn't occur if practitioners adhere to the principles of good practice.
The Rose Report, Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading, rightly recognised that a child must be proficient in the use of language before beginning to read. Children are motivated to use and extend their language through exciting and meaningful experiences, which should include endless opportunities for quality role-play in contexts supported by unobtrusive and knowledgeable adults.
To become readers, children must want to learn to read, and they will only want to read if they have enjoyed rich literary experiences.
According to the Rose Report, parents, carers, schools and settings 'stimulate children's interest in literacy by exploiting play, story, songs and rhymes, and provide lots of opportunities and TIME to talk with children about their experiences and feelings' (p4). This statement should be used in defending one's professional stance to colleagues with less early years understanding
An interesting and welcoming book corner is key to encouraging children to access their own books and to motivate them to read. Adults should role-model good reading habits and their own love of books. Practitioners should provide a selection of fiction, non-fiction, dual-language and non-stereotypical books, that appeal to both boys and girls.
One small part
Although delivering the phonics programme may appear formal, it should be formal only in the mind, never in practice. Teaching should be incorporated into the flow of children's play, not imposed through adult-led activities that will lack meaning and context for children.
As we know, children learn through movement and the senses, so phonics must be presented in multi-sensory ways indoors and outdoors and take into account children's different learning styles.
Phonics work is expected to be part of the child's learning journey by the age of five, but it is only a small part of the programme for developing skills in communication, language and literacy, which, in turn, is only one of the six equally important areas of learning within the Foundation Stage curriculum.
Rose states, 'It would be ridiculous for the review to suggest that phonics teaching should start at the stroke of midnight on every child's fifth birthday' (p29). We know that some children will be 'reading ready' before this time and some children will need a lot more pre-reading or early reading experiences.
We need to bear in mind that:
- some children do not turn five until near the end of reception
- England stands alone in advocating such an early start to reading
- there can be a massive two-year difference in brain development between children at this age.
We also need to ask:
- does the early acquisition of phonics enhance the quality of young children's lives?
- do we have proof that our fast-track policies produce the best long-term literacy results?
Phonics teaching should begin at the time that the early years practitioner judges it appropriate.
When a child is ready to undertake phonics work, then it must be embedded within a broad and rich curriculum, threaded into child-initiated activities in a sensitive way, and delivered according to the principles of the curriculum guidance.
Children are interested in things that are relevant to their real lives, so it is vital that practitioners promote children's reading and writing skills through their self-initiated play, which will be totally relevant to the child. For example, it would be important to be able to write if you were a police officer who had to issue a parking ticket or to read a road sign.
If phonics is forced on to children who are not ready for it and fail to understand where it fits into their journey to becoming readers, then learning will be a confusing and negative experience, with damaging long-term effects that are hard to overcome.