Teaching guidance 'may backfire'

12 April 2012

Forcing schools to go "back to basics" and teach children to read using old fashioned techniques is likely to backfire, a think-tank report has warned.

Ministers want every primary school in England to teach children reading through a system known as "phonics", which involves building words out of individual letter sounds.

But the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) said that while phonics was the best method to use, "dictating" what teachers do is likely to be counter-productive.

A report on a scheme in West Dunbartonshire found that the rate of reading failure in schools in the area is expected to fall to zero next year.

The equivalent figure in England is 21%, the think-tank said.

"The Department for Education and Skills now accepts that synthetic phonics is the most appropriate way of teaching children to read. This is welcome," the CPS said.

"What is not welcome is that in attempting to encourage greater use of synthetic phonics in the classroom, it is dictating classroom procedure in detail.

"This is not welcome and is likely to be counter-productive."

Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said: "West Dunbartonshire's success in virtually eliminating illiteracy in primary schools proves beyond doubt that synthetic phonics is the most effective method of teaching children to read."

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