Phonics increase confidence, says DCSF

A short survey among schools by Ofsted is reported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to have found that the use of systematic phonics programmes had “raised schools’ expectations of how quickly and well children could learn to read and write”.

Teachers are also reported to have noted that “the clear structure of the Letters and Sounds phonics programme had improved their confidence”.

Sales of commercial synthetic phonics programmes have been hit by the government-backed Letters and Sounds programme.