If you've got a child approaching school age, or a child that has just started in Reception then you'll undoubtedly be starting to hear a lot about phonics.
Phonics, you say? What exactly are phonics and why are they of relevance to my child and I?
Over the past few years, ever since a review headed by former Ofsted inspections director Jim Rose, phonics has been adopted by the UK as the first strategy that children should be taught in helping them learn to read.
The review came about as a result of statistics showing that 1 in 5 children still had not reached the necessary standard of English by the end of primary school. This was in turn hampering their learning ability at secondary school.
According to the Department of Education, research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way – starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read.
And of course, phonics has always been around but most parents will also remember learning to read using "sight" or "whole" words too. The current thinking is that although this method is good for most readers, there are some children who never learn to decode words. Phonics empowers them to do this.
There are lots of resources online to help parents get to grips with phonics and here are some of our favourites to get you started:
PhonicsPlay.co.uk have a subscription and free to use website which has a great overview of phonics and how to work with your child at different levels.
Our partner, Letterland, also has resources for parents keen to help their child on their phonics. Check out their Parents Guide.
Oxford Owl also have a great site including a video from Ruth Miskin giving her Top Ten Tips for getting started with Phonics.
So, how are you and your young readers getting on with Phonics? Do you see the value in the new focus on Phonics or do you think a Whole approach makes more sense?