Best Practice - War of words

There are few debates more toxic in the early years than how reading should be taught and when it should start. The Department for Education’s new Reading Framework encourages a generation of children to develop a love of reading and books. Alongside this, it specifies formal daily reading lessons for Reception-aged children. Some professionals are incensed by this unprecedented detail, some are very pleased. Will this new framework, then, add fuel to the longstanding ‘reading wars’?

The DfE published The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy in July. It is aimed at teachers, school leaders, reading and literacy leads, governing bodies and teacher training providers. Nick Gibb, former Minister of State for School Standards, says, ‘Ensuring that children become strong readers at the very earliest stages helps to avoid the vicious circle of reading difficulties and demotivation.’

While everyone agrees that being a successful reader is crucial to one’s life-chances, there is much disparity about how to go about this.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSES

Dr Sinéad Harmey, lecturer in Literacy Education at UCL’s Institute of Education, acknowledges the need for a document that focuses on teaching all children to read well. She says, ‘At the heart of the document is the desire for all children to become confident, competent engaged readers. I can’t argue with that at all. There is need to pay careful attention to those at risk of reading failure, along with its many social and emotional implications.’

But Dr Harmey also considers the document lacking in some areas. ‘It is overly simplistic and incoherent in several places. A prime example is the mismatch between the title and contents. It’s called the early reading framework, yet it addresses writing.’

Helen Bradford, writing on the Early Education blog in September, said, ‘First and foremost is the use of terminology, and lack of clarity as to whether the focus of the document is on reading, writing, speaking or listening, and thus how literacy is defined.’

While June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), considers the guidance ‘really useful, particularly for trainers and pedagogical mentors, she is concerned about training. ‘Will staff be given training to support their understanding of the framework?’

Sue McGonigle and Olivia O’Sullivan, creators of Lovemybooks, jointly comment, ‘There are aspects in this document which we welcome as being in line with our approach.’ But they add, ‘Much of the guidance is admonishing in tone and the recommendations are unlikely to inspire readers.’

Annika Eadie, head teacher of William Davis Primary School in Tower Hamlets, London, argues, ‘The new reading framework tells us what we already know. Children who are strong readers do better in life. Children with parents and carers who engage with early reading at home are likely to be more successful.’

KEY CONTROVERSY

For many, the framework’s advocacy of Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) as the only way to teach reading undermines its other aim of helping all children to develop a love of reading.

In SSP programmes, children are taught letter sounds systematically. Next, they are taught to blend those sounds together to read words. Methods of teaching early reading, such as encouraging children to predict a word they can’t read by looking at the pictures, are not used in SSP programmes. Children are given access to books in which they can read, or decode, every word relying solely on their knowledge of phonics.

The framework makes a clear distinction between (word) reading and comprehension:

• ‘This document uses the terms “decoding” and “word reading” interchangeably, as in Gough and Turner’s original description of the Simple View of Reading.’ (p16)
• ‘Comprehension does not refer to reading itself but, rather, to the way in which we make sense of words, sentences and the wider language we hear or read.’ (p16)

At Eadie’s school they use the Read, Write, Inc SSP programme to teach phonics in Reception and Key Stage 1. ‘Our children make rapid progress; they learn to decode and as a result are ready to develop the other reading skills,’ she says. ‘Our bilingual children need to focus on developing their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Because they can decode effectively, teachers are able to focus on the important skills needed for reading for meaning, and understanding of context.’

The framework also explains how educators can help children to engage with reading through captivating story times, storytelling and sharing high-quality books.

However, Dr Harmey contests the view that children should only practise their reading with fully decodable books. ‘While decodable texts have a place, I do not think research is strong enough to restrict readers to one type of text (decodable, controlled vocabulary) to the neglect of others.’ She adds, ‘There is a difference between systematic phonics and systematic synthetic phonics. Research comparing types of phonics instruction does not identify clear advantages to one specific type.’

Dr Harmey considers the Simple View of Reading as a useful framework that accounts for the importance of word reading (decoding) and linguistic comprehension.

Significantly, she adds, ‘There is a clear move by scholars in the field of literacy research to not oversimplify the reading process. The recent series of articles in the top-tier literacy research journal Reading Research Quarterly attest to this. The simple view does not provide a model of the reading process. A model, in reading research terms, should describe reading development and how the skills operate and interact. Clearly, this framework does not do that.’

She says it is a bit like thinking the two elements of hand-eye co-ordination and stamina would be all that mattered in making a successful footballer: diet, motivation, strategy, self-regulation and so on being irrelevant.

In Literacy Today (No. 96, July 2021), Sue Reid, researcher and former senior lecturer at Newman University, also considered the approach to reading as far too simplistic. She too objected to phonics being the only sanctioned approach: ‘The Education Endowment Fund (EEF), cited as an example of support for phonics, actually states that an approach should include both phonics and the teaching of comprehension.’

The guidelines say reading comprehension should not be taught until the child is a fluent reader; before children are fluent readers, their comprehension should be developed through talk and sharing stories with adults.

Gill Jones, Ofsted early education deputy director, says, ‘Inspectors will not be asking to hear children read who are in school and below Reception age, or checking children’s reading in inspections of registered EY provision.

‘The important point is that maintained nursery schools and Ofsted-registered EY provision should not be purchasing reading schemes or teaching phonics formally. They should concentrate on developing vocabulary.’

A LOVE OF READING

In contrast to the fierce conflicts over phonics, there is broad support for the framework’s emphasis on promoting a love of reading:

• ‘Teachers are the best people to promote a love of reading because children, particularly young children, care what the teachers think about the stories they read aloud. If teachers show they love the story, the children are likely to respond in the same way.’ (p28)
• ‘Making sure that children become engaged with reading from the beginning is (therefore) one of the most important ways to make a difference to their life chances, whatever their socioeconomic background.’ (p13)

Dr Harmey comments, ‘The authors rightly focus on reading for pleasure and the clear links between motivation and engagement with reading.’

Lovemybooks’ McGonigle welcomes the acknowledgement of the importance of:

• engaging children with books and reading
• valuing reading aloud to very young children (at school and home)
• selecting books carefully
• talking with children about books
• encouraging book-based story play and creativity
• re-reading and dramatic play.

She says, ‘The guidance discusses the role of talk and stories in developing young children’s vocabulary and language. These are key to the activities we recommend as part of developing a love of books and reading.’

Unfortunately, McGonigle and O’Sullivan think these positive threads of the document are overshadowed. ‘The conceptual model of reading and the emphasis on SSP are given considerably more weight. This is disappointing.’

They acknowledge that the framework includes useful guidance on choosing books in order to offer children a rich and varied experience. However, they add, ‘If children are offered only decodable books at school, they will be denied the right to explore freely, play read, return to books they enjoy and begin to recognise words in a meaningful context.’

They are concerned that reading for pleasure is the underdog in the framework. ‘Teaching up to an hour a day of phonics to Reception children is potentially going to have a negative effect on their genuine engagement with books and reading.’

In Literacy Today (No. 96, July 2021), Reid took a similar position. Rather than ‘weeding out non-decodable books’, she would like children to be ‘immersed in the richness of the English language’.

COMMUNICATION

Another important emphasis in the framework is on children’s vocabulary. The EEF’s Preparing for Literacy guidance report recommends that early years practitioners should ‘prioritise the development of communication and language’, because being a good communicator makes it easier for children to learn to read.

The new EYFS puts a greater emphasis on children’s communication. As the framework states, ‘Underpinning the reforms to the EYFS is the aim of reducing the language gap between children from language-rich homes and others.’

It too emphasises, ‘A language-rich environment is one in which adults talk with children throughout the day. The more children take part in conversations, the more they will understand once they can read and the more vocabulary and ideas they will have to draw on when they can write.’

Dr Harmey affirms, ‘There is a clear need to develop talk in the early years and the framework places value on the interactions, and particularly the quality of interactions between adults and all young children.’

Ofsted’s Jones elaborates the document’s emphasis on this. ‘We often talk about a language-rich environment, but frequently settings take this to mean the number of words they have on display around the setting. The guidance provided in the reading framework sets out what “language rich” means, with some helpful pointers about how to develop early language and links to further reading on the subject. It also suggests checking that children can hear when listening to language and are not distracted by too much background noise. Ofsted will be looking at how leaders are developing staff knowledge of language and communication development in their settings.’

June O’Sullivan welcomes the ambition in the framework to stretch children and extend their vocabulary. ‘This is especially important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.’

LOOKING FORWARD

In the framework, Gibb states, ‘Thankfully, we have moved on from the “reading wars” that used to dominate discussions about what techniques worked best.’ However, it seems that victory might have been declared too early – there is still substantial disagreement.

Could there be a better way forward rather than many more years of the opposing factions quarrelling?

Dr Harmey argues for a more balanced approach. ‘I’d like an expert panel of researchers with expertise in literacy to pull together a much more substantive and informed document where it is clear where the evidence came from, and who wrote it.’

No one disputes that children should grow into fluent readers, but the question is how to achieve it. The ‘reading wars’ are far from over.

MORE INFORMATION

• The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy, Department for Education: https://bit.ly/3obYH3N
• ‘The Science of Reading Progresses: Communicating Advances beyond the Simple View of Reading’, The International Literacy Association, Reading Research Quarterly: https://bit.ly/3EVAwN6
• Lovemybooks, www.lovemybooks.co.uk, is a web-based resource for parents, carers, early years settings and primary schools. It includes curated book collections and hundreds of book-based activities.