Instead of building on what children already know and can do (such animportant Foundation Stage principle), are we now to treat children asempty vessels with a daily top-up of phonics, regardless of their ageand stage of development?
How have phonics come to assume such importance when English is not aphonetically reliable language? I am confident that any reader walkingpast five roads would not be able to decode and spell all the road namesusing phonics alone. We might also have problems with common words suchas plough, enough, hiccough, through, thorough and ought.
As early years specialists, we seem to be trusted to manage the otherareas of learning. The interference in communication, language andliteracy comes from people who know nothing about child development.
In the new EYFS document (p55), practitioners are referred to guidanceon systematic phonics work in the 30-50 month development section and(p58) effective writing is described as 'encourage the children to usetheir phonic knowledge when writing consonant-vowel-consonant words'.And yes, 30 months is two and a half years!
Bright, confident children are going to be assessed for the early yearsprofile against unrealistic goals and will be labelled underachievers.How will this impact on children's confidence and self- esteem? How havewe become the only nation in the world that expects children to read andwrite before compulsory school age?
- Maggie Woonton, London.
