---

Teaching Methods

Answer

Improving standards of literacy at all key stages is one of the Government's top priorities, Following Sir Jim Rose's review of the teaching of early reading, we have provided a wealth of guidance on the systematic teaching of phonics. We have done this through the renewal of the primary framework for literacy which puts phonics at the heart of teaching literacy; through the provision of training to all primary schools as part of the Communication Language and Literacy Development (CLLD) programme; and through the publication of Letters and Sounds, a high quality phonics teaching document sent free to all primary schools and local authorities last year.Although this guidance is targeted specifically at early years settings and primary schools, secondary schools are able to access freely all the guidance we provide. For secondary schools, the Secondary National Strategy has produced a specific teaching unit on phonics as part of the literacy progress units designed to help secondary schools in helping pupils struggling with reading to catch up. However, we have concentrated the main thrust of our guidance on early years settings and primary schools where it is of prime importance that firm foundations in the teaching of early reading are laid.We do not gather information on the proportion of primary schools in England which use phonics to teach reading. Phonic knowledge is a part of the KS1 national curriculum, so all schools are required to teach it.It is this Department's intention that every trainee teacher should be trained in the use of high quality, systematic phonics teaching. We have asked the Training and Development Agency to ensure that all teacher training establishments give sufficient attention to phonics teaching and we will continue to work with the national strategies to ensure that teachers and support staff receive the appropriate continuing professional development.We do not provide funding specifically targeted at the teaching of phonics. We believe that schools are best placed to target their funding to suit local needs. All training and materials produced through the national strategies are provided free-of-charge to schools.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

470 c1289-90W; 177032

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Reading Teaching methods

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk