Page 41 - SEN107 SEN Magazine July-August 2020

reading and spelling through high quality, systematic phonic work, as advocated by the 2006 reading review as the prime approach for teaching beginner readers” Sadly, not all do. Those who bear the brunt of this discrepancy and difference in early reading instruction are those students we might describe as vulnerable in some way, those with special educational needs or and disabilities (SEND), those who may be looked after, miss large amounts of school or have social, emotional, mental health or other issues which get in the way of their learning. These struggling students progress into key stage 2, whatever their reading ability, where the number of teachers trained to deliver phonics reduces markedly. So, their struggle continues with a growing impact on learning in other areas and on their own self esteem. When students reach secondary school there are even fewer staff who have been trained in delivering phonics. Other aspects of literacy are also important but if a student cannot decode the sounds and corresponding letter in a word to read it and encode to spell or write it then every aspect of school life becomes increasingly difficult. The attainment gap widens and while there may be a number of reasons for this, failure to teach students to read effectively (at whatever age and stage they need this instruction) is part of this picture. Many students will eventually come to the realisation that sounds are represented by letters, and they will often know that a sound may be represented by more than one letter. They may well establish there are different ways of spelling a particular sound, the /oe/ sound can be spelled <ow> as in tow or <oe> as in toe, plus many other ways. It’s the same sound but different spellings. Similarly, one spelling can represent many different sounds <a> can represent /a/ in cat but /ae/ in paper and <ow> can represent /oe/ in tow or /ow/ in cow. It’s the same spelling but different sounds. However, not all students come to this conclusion independently, and it would be much easier if this was taught in a systematic way whenever they are able to access that learning by staff trained to deliver quality phonics instruction. As an 11 year old, who was failing to read and spell well at school despite obvious cognitive ability, said to me when I showed eight ways of spelling the sound /oe/ “Why on earth has no one told me this before?” I really wish I knew! The purpose of systematic phonics is to provide a framework for teaching the 44 common sounds of our language, represented by the 26 letters of our alphabet either singly or as two, three or four letter combinations. All children need to learn how to decode/encode simple words first to develop the skills they need of blending and segmenting. Then they need to be explicitly taught the way we represent our common spellings. When they come to longer, polysyllabic words, they need to keep practicing these skills adding in the additional element of breaking a word into syllables and then sounds. The problem is that a huge number of teachers, even those in reception and key Stage 1 have not been trained to deliver phonics systematically and effectively. The students this disadvantages the most are those who already have challenges, yet so often they are the ones removed from class to work with someone with little relevant training to address one of the most fundamental areas of their learning and in fact wellbeing. Literacy is not just about accessing the curriculum, it is also about being able to fully access society and live a healthy fulfilling and long life. The answer is shockingly simple – ensure every adult who works in school, primary, secondary but also alternative provisions and specialist settings are trained to deliver high quality systematic phonics instruction. There will be a cost, but not a massive one; four days training can provide in- depth knowledge and practice but even one or two days would be useful. However, unless we ensure staff are trained and equipped the cost in terms of future employment, happiness, equity of society and personal happiness and fulfilment will be extremely high. If we continue to expect adults in schools to support our most vulnerable students with a fundamental area of learning without adequate training we are setting millions of already disadvantaged students up for further failure. Sources www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/pdfs/2009-IRPC-final-ƒ report.pdf ƒ cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/National_Literacy_ Trust_-_Literacy_and_life_expectancy_report.pdf ƒ www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/30/attainment-gap- widens-disadvantaged-gcse-pupils-study www.edweek.org/ew/issues/how-do-kids-learn-to-read.htmlƒ As children progress through school the emphasis on phonic skills and knowledge reduces to the detriment of all learners About the author Sheila Mulvenney is an experienced English teacher and phonics trainer who worked in a variety of SEND settings and local authorities with vulnerable students. She is the author of ‘ Overcoming Barriers to Learning ’ and passionate about inclusion. attunededucation.com @sheilattuned senmagazine.co.uk SEN 107 41 Phonics