December 2024 – See the recording of a talk I provided for student-teachers at Edge Hill University for their focus phonics week which included the university asking the students to evaluate and compare phonics programmes.
In my talk, I describe why I have found it necessary to critique the ‘Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised‘ phonics programme so serious is it (I argue) that participatory teaching profession, advisors and local families of 5,000+ schools in England are getting the (flawed) message against the use of phonics ‘worksheets and workbooks’ and against phonics in ‘continuous provision’. In effect, this undermines paper-based practice, and any phonics programmes that include paper-based resources for (pencil) practices in their offer. They have also undermined any play-based phonics enrichment instead of sensibly distinguishing between ‘CORE’ phonics provision and additional play-based phonics games and activities.
I refer to this post, this post and this post, during my talk (findings from the ‘core’ paper-based practice in No Nonsense Phonics) – and suggest that the DfE is mistaken to have commissioned The Wandle Trust people behind the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme as the experts for SEND training in the 34 English Hubs (and possibly beyond as a development).
