• What is Synthetic Phonics?
  • Synthetic Phonics Research
  • Analytic Phonics vs Synthetic Phonics
  • Synthetic Phonics Glossary
  • Further Reading on Synthetic Phonics
  • Phonics In the Curriculum
    • Australian National Curriculum
    • Within the Literacy Curriculum

Synthetic Phonics Research

What does the research into the early teaching of literacy show? Research shows that a systematic, explicit Synthetic Phonics approach is fast, efficient and effective.

Australia – systematic, direct and explicit Synthetic Phonics

The National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy recommended:

teachers provide systematic, direct and explicit phonics instruction so that children master the essential alphabetic code-breaking skills required for foundational reading proficiency.

National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy, 2005

Among the successful schools they reviewed, there were a number of key similarities:

1. A belief that each child can learn to read and write regardless of background
2. An early, systematic, and “explicit” (i.e. specific and clear) teaching of phonics
3. The phonics instruction was followed by “direct teaching”

Read The National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy

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UK – Synthetic Phonics Mandatory

The UK government commissioned an independent review of the primary curriculum, The Rose Report. As a result Synthetic Phonics was made mandatory in all English and Welsh primary schools as of 2007.

Synthetic Phonics offers the vast majority of young children the best and most direct route to becoming skilled readers and writers.

The Rose Report, 2006

Read the Rose Report: Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading.

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USA – Systematic, Synthetic Phonics

The USA researched every major method to teach children how to read and concluded:

Systematic phonics instruction produces significant benefits for students in kindergarten through 6th grade and for children having difficulty learning to read.

The National Reading Panel, 2006

Read the National Reading Panel Findings report

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These reports all found that systematic, explicit Synthetic Phonics is…

• Fast… a child will learn 30 phonemes (sounds) in only 16 weeks and can read and spell over 40 words in the very first unit! Have a look at at Jack’s writing portfolio – see how Synthetic Phonics quickly progresses children’s writing confidence too.
• Efficient… it shows improvements for every child. This has certainly been the case for the Get Reading Right, schools using the resources has seen literacy rates sky rocket go from 80% to nearly 100%.
• Effective… even with groups who are traditionally more likely to find reading difficult (boys, English as a Second Language learners and children experiencing difficulties) the results are still first-rate.