Children will be taught to read using synthetic phonics by the age of five from next September, following recommendations of last month's Rose review (News, 8 December).
Dr Jonathan Solity, a lecturer at the University of Warwick, said, 'I'm arguing for balance, using real books alongside synthetic phonics.'
Dr Solity was due to address delegates yesterday (4 January) on the importance of 'learning to read through real books' at the Division of Educational and Child Psychology annual conference in Bournemouth.
He said the best method was approaching phonics through books rather than reading schemes, teaching children an optimal number of core phonic and sight vocabulary skills and applying them to a wide range of books.
Dr Solity said his Early Reading Research scheme piloted in schools with children from reception to year two found that the incidence of reading difficulties was reduced from 20 or 25 per cent to around 2 per cent.
The more 'divorced' the teaching of phonics becomes from the process of reading, he said, the harder it is for 'failing readers'. The majority of them are expected to learn too many phonic skills and never attain the status of 'a free reader' and move off the reading scheme.
'It's more important that children have a rich language experience and lots of stories read to them,' he said, adding that there was a danger that Government plans to use synthetic phonics 'first, fast and only' could result in teachers 'delivering programmes of synthetic phonics' rather than focusing on good quality books and literature.
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