Kelly supports 'back to basics' phonics

The education secretary has accepted a recommendation that the use of synthetic phonics to teach reading should be enforced through the national curriculum.

Responding to the final recommendations of the Rose review into reading teaching methods, Ruth Kelly came out in favour of making the sounds-based approach the primary classroom technique.

Kelly announced that phonics would be part of the statutory foundation stage national curriculum for children starting school, whereas it has previously only been encouraged.

She said it was a "myth that phonics teaching has been abandoned" in favour of whole word recognition techniques and pointed to improvements in literacy levels in recent years.

"Phonics has been a central part of the national literacy strategy since it was introduced in 1998 and is already firmly a part of the foundation stage," the minister said.

However she accepted evidence that it should be adopted comprehensively as part of a drive to boost standards further.

"I want to thank Jim Rose for this thorough review," she said.

"This is a clear roadmap for reading which draws on the experience of teachers and experts to show what works best for children in the classroom.

"There have been rapid improvements in children's literacy over the last seven years, but we know that one in five of our 11-year-olds still leave primary school without reaching the necessary standard in English.

"This is not acceptable and we must do more to help these children. This report gives us a clear strategy on how to drive forward further improvements.

"I am clear that synthetic phonics should be the first strategy in teaching all children to read. I want to be clear in the National Curriculum and we will now work with QCA [Qualifications and Curriculum Authority] on how best to do this."

Conservative schools spokesman Nick Gibb said the move was welcome.

"There is mounting evidence that the use of synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading is crucial," he said.

"Teaching children the sounds of letters and vowels and how to blend them into words, within the first few months of starting school, is what should be happening in all our primary schools. Where that does happen standards of reading and writing are very high.

"The alternative 'look and say' approach has, over two generations, led to poor literacy levels in this country and the associated problems at secondary schools of low levels of attainment and distributive behaviour.

"Conservatives welcome the Rose review and any government initiative that promotes synthetic phonics first and fast in our primary schools."