Usborne Phonics Readers - 12 Book Set

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The rationale for this work lies in the need for all pupils to leave school as successful readers and with GCSE English at grade 4 or above. It is essential for pupils to be able to read proficiently, so they can access post-compulsory education and participate fully in society. Our education recovery reports also show that learning loss as a result of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic is making reading a greater issue in secondary schools. [footnote 22] Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language.

These schools recognised that although cross-curricular, school-wide initiatives improved reading, there were pupils who first needed specific teaching in phonics. Once pupils could read accurately, they were better able to access and benefit from what schools did to improve the reading of all pupils.discussions with His Majesty’s Inspectors ( HMI) who are primary specialists or secondary English specialists J Jerrim and N Shure, ‘Achievement of 15-year-olds in England: PISA 2015 further analysis report research brief’, Department for Education, 2016. ↩

Our analysis of inspection evidence for 30 secondary schools, inspected between September 2021 and January 2022, showed that 28 used reading assessment tests to screen all Year 7 pupils and identify those at risk of struggling with reading. Standardised screening tests, such as cognitive ability tests or reading age assessments, effectively identified the bottom 20% or 30% of readers, based on a chosen cut-off score or according to the gap between pupils’ reading age and their chronological age. They showed pupils who were at risk of not getting a grade 4 in GCSE English. However, schools did not follow up with diagnostic tests to identify precise gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. We also saw from inspection evidence that schools focused assessment and teaching on struggling readers at key stage 3. Schools assessed pupils’ reading in Year 7 and new starters in Years 8 and 9, but there was less evidence of this happening in key stage 4. This means that pupils who begin to struggle later, or new starters in key stage 4, might not receive targeted support. I am constantly being approached for advice. For example, the PE [physical education] department was thinking about displays and resources in the context of reading. After training they decided to make changes to resources in regard to reading. The maths [mathematics] department were thinking about wording questions, drawing attention to keywords, getting students to read them aloud. Sharing information about struggling readers Read signs and information boards as you are out and about. These often contain new vocabulary to discuss. Recipes or instructions for craft projects are also great for this and also encourage us to read with accuracy

When I first joined the school I had to go out a couple of times and do some reading tests with teachers. I started to go into that [reading support] and it helps me a lot with my reading. I don’t stutter as much as I used to.’ Phonological awareness extends into phonics when a child understands that letters make sounds and those letters create words. In 2000, the National Reading Panel released its report, and they concluded, without room for doubt, that early instruction in phonics is the best way to teach children how to read. This expansive study researched letter-sound correspondence (phonics) versus the “look-say,” or whole language, teaching that had been a struggling method since the 1950’s. They unanimously found that phonics is the best approach to early reading. In one school, we heard how engaging with particular groups, such as struggling readers, was part of the librarian’s performance targets. The librarian created opportunities for struggling readers to use the library more regularly, and frequently had the very weakest readers in the library. Conclusion

You can see the progress they’ve made, you see it in lessons when they’re eager to read. It’s beyond the figures – we do what we do to see that palpable result. It’s not necessarily about that number on a spreadsheet or reading age – it’s about them having that confidence. We read to our children every day, but they rely on us to read to them. Reading a book on their own will make all the difference in their learning and desire to read! Oh the first joy to see them read their own book for the first time! I sincerely hope that this collection of Best Phonics Reader Sets will help you make an informed choice for your child(ren) or students. There are many options out there, and it is important to keep the child’s needs and interests in mind when choosing what is best for them! Training supported an ethos that valued and understood the importance of investing in reading and staff working together to help struggling readers. This culture of collaboration was evident in our discussions with staff. One reading support teacher said:Then the children will really start to read! They will learn to recognise the different letters or pairs of letters (graphemes) in a word, say the separate sounds ( phonemes) slowly, then put ( blend) them together. For example, they will be taught that the word ‘boat’ can be separated out ( segmented) into ‘b-oa-t’ which represents the sounds bbb-oh– ttt. They can blend these sounds into the word ‘boat’ We also saw how additional help for struggling readers was part of a wider whole-school strategy to improve the reading of all pupils. This meant that as well as additional teaching in the foundational components of reading, such as accurate word reading and fluency, struggling readers benefited from teaching across the curriculum that focused on the vocabulary knowledge needed for comprehension and subject-specific reading. Annex A: detailed research methods

Leaders monitor the impact of interventions using regular assessment and the progress teachers see in lessons. Pupils’ reading and spelling ages are tested at the beginning, middle and end of the year. The academy also uses phonics tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year. These assessments continue for Year 9 pupils who are getting additional teaching for reading. inspection evidence retrieval – to validate the sample of schools to visit, and better understand what schools do to identify and support struggling readers Schools had to make difficult decisions about when to timetable additional reading lessons. Each of the schools had considered when to give extra teaching, and whether pupils should miss lessons or not. There was no consensus about the best time in the day for additional reading lessons. This was a hard decision for leaders and one not taken lightly, as this senior leader explained: The HMI focus groups indicated that secondary schools did not always have staff trained to teach pupils who were in the early stages of learning to read. They also showed that teachers did not always know how to help struggling readers in class. We set a student up for success from the beginning by giving them the tools to decode words (through phonics learning) and by providing adequate time to review and master older concepts, or sounds, before introducing new ones. Each of the Phonics Readers below does just that. They reinforce the learning. What phonics readers are best for my child?

* NEW * Twinkl Phonics and Rhino Readers Teaching and Learning Programme Overview

It can take until Year 2/Primary 3 before your child might have learned all 44 sounds in English and the many different spellings used for each sound. We monitor through a combination of learning walks and lesson observations substantiated by data from interventions.