Education secretary Ruth Kelly said she 'fully endorsed' the findings and that synthetic phonics should be taught as early as possible in schools.
In his report Jim Rose, a former director of inspection at Ofsted who led the review, said, 'The approach which is generally understood as "synthetic phonics" offers the vast majority of young beginners the best route to becoming skilled readers.'
He said the 'searchlights' system, which gives teachers a range of methods when teaching children to read, should be abandoned because many beginner readers find it 'daunting and confusing' and it could divert teachers'
attention from 'their key task in teaching early phonic skills and knowledge', he said.
The report said that the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Literacy Strategy's framework for teaching should be 'wholly compatible'.
But Anne Nelson, director of Early Education, said she did not agree with a daily systematic phonics approach by the age of five. She said it was 'reminiscent of the early days of the literacy and numeracy strategies. The requirement of the daily sessions led reception children to experience each morning a diet of literacy, assembly, playtime and numeracy. Various reports commented on the inappropriateness for young children of long periods of sitting on the carpet, in passive situations which harmed their physical and intellectual development'.
She said that the report left many questions unanswered. 'What does by the age of five mean in terms of reception and Year 1? What are the implications for the new EYFS?'
Professor Tina Bruce at the University of Roehampton said, 'We need to build upwards from Birth to Three to the Foundation Stage and not have downward pressure.'
She also said that the review should have looked at the wider issues of language development.
'Onset-rime should be used in conjunction with synthetic phonics, for example teaching children "Humpty Dumpty", which helps them to establish the letter- sound relationships.'
The final report of the Rose review is expected early next year.
