[senco-forum] Re Literacy

I have no problem with any head teacher choosing to use phonics or any other teaching approach.  That is their prerogative and I would support them in their choice. What I am opposed to is the imposition of ANYTHING on schools. SP is just a series of mechanical exercises and although I am an avid supporter of its use with children who are not making normal progress in reading, I would resist its imposition even for this highly desirable purpose.  

There is something dishonest about a national literacy debate in which the terms 'reading standards' and 'reading statistics' and 'reading' are being used almost interchangeably.   If anyone believes that the use of synthetic phonics will drive up reading standards, then they should thin again.  The government and I suspect the DfES are more concerned with reading statistics than reading standards.  The general use of synthetic phonics would almost certainly drive up reading statistics because 18% of children would no longer leave school illiterate but it would have no effect whatsoever on reading standards. Those who learned to read without SP would not read any better, any more willingly, any more intensely or enthusiastically because they had completed a series of mechanical exercises. That at least, must be self-evident.

SP has an excellent track record with those who need it but it has neither track record nor any basis in logic for those who don't.  If we lose sight of that fact, we run the risk of surrendering childrens' education to fundamentalism which ignores logic and would impose SP no matter what. Most reasonable people would agree that using the end to justify the means is a very dangerous strategy.

Is it not very British that we have massive numbers of illiterates and yet we spend our time considering changing the way we teach reading to those that have no problem whatsoever in learning to read?  I have absolutely no desire to impose my views on anyone else but I would suggest that we should think very carefully about supporting the imposition of anything on schools.

Eddie C.