Narrow synthetic phonics is not effective for teaching struggling young readers

Synthetic phonics, where children are taught to pronounce sounds in isolation before putting them together to form words, isn’t working for many struggling young readers, a study led by UCL has found.

In October, the government in England raised the target for the number of pupils in England to reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check from 84 per cent to 90 per cent, despite only 80 per cent of pupils currently meeting that target. Phonics helps children learn to read by teaching them how letters and sounds connect, enabling them to decode unfamiliar words and build reading fluency. But some children with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, ADHD, can struggle with rigid phonics routines. 

Now a study by researchers at UCL Institute of Education and Liverpool John Moores University, published in Reading Research Quarterly, has questioned the Government’s approach. 

They found that 21% of teachers surveyed for the research persist with the synthetic phonics approach, even when it does not work for the children they teach, because this is what Department for Education (DfE) policies require.  

They say a more flexible approach based on children’s motivation for reading and writing is needed to help those most in need and to improve England’s reading standards. 

Lead author Professor Dominic Wyse (UCL Learning & Leadership) said: "Multi-component teaching approaches that support struggling readers’ motivation and confidence should be the foundations of effective teaching. 

“England’s phonics orthodoxy is too inflexible to get the best outcomes for children with reading difficulties. We cannot persist with a one-size-fits-all approach that we know doesn’t work for all children. 

“We call on the DfE to reconsider their view that synthetic phonics is the only option for struggling readers. 

“Teachers need flexibility and autonomy to use a range of teaching approaches based on assessment of their children’s needs. 

“Minimal change in this part of the national curriculum is not good enough. An ambitious approach based on the most up to date research should be adopted. The new national curriculum needs to be based on this evidence.”  

The researchers surveyed 133 experienced teachers, head teachers, and special needs experts in England and carried out systematic reviews of what works when teaching children with reading difficulties. 

They examined teaching approaches for children with reading difficulties ranging from moderate difficulties through to more severe difficulties such as dyslexia. 

They found that while some teachers persisted with the synthetic phonics approach even when it does not work for their pupils, others took a more flexible, common-sense approach – for example, engaging children’s interests; prioritising the use of high-quality children’s books; and teaching writing to support reading. 

Some teachers expressed frustrations with the inflexibility of the official approach to teaching reading, saying that their pupils’ enjoyment of reading was being negatively impacted.  

The study found that there was very little research evidence, from experimental trials, to support the Government’s narrow approach to synthetic phonics and that a less rigid approach was more effective for children with reading difficulties.  

As well as arguing for more professional autonomy for teachers, the researchers are calling for a greater emphasis on children’s motivation for reading; more focus on comprehension and fluency; and greater use of real books, not only ‘decodable texts’ produced by DfE approved private sector synthetic phonics schemes. They also say that phonics teaching should be contextualised in real purposes for reading and writing. The UK Parliament Education Committee has launched a new inquiry into keeping the joy of reading alive. 

The current focus on phonics means that children with reading difficulties can spend up to an hour per day for three years in phonics lessons. 

Yet nearly every year since 2013, England’s statutory assessments have shown that approximately 25% of children in England do not meet the expected standard for reading or writing by the end of their primary schooling, and many of these children have reading difficulties. 

Further research led by Professor Wyse recommends changes to the way that grammar and writing are taught in England. The findings, to be published in the Journal of Writing Research, align with some important recommendations from the national curriculum review which say that reductions in grammar content and grammar tests in primary schools, and a stronger focus on using and applying grammar are needed. The DfE has not explicitly confirmed whether these changes will be made.