Teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics in Primary Schools (Transforming Primary QTS Series)

The government prioritizes systematic synthetic phonics as a key strategy in the teaching of reading and this is your guide to teaching systematic synthetic phonics in primary schools.

This text supports trainee teachers working towards primary QTS through the exploration of a range of aspects of phonics teaching.  It gives a balance of research and practice and allows trainees to develop and in-depth understanding of what works in phonics teaching, and why.

It begins with the subject knowledge that underpins effective teaching - key aspects of the alphabetic code from discriminating sounds and phonemes to teaching long vowel phonemes and their different spellings and pronunciations. It goes on to explore pedagogy from the early years to Key Stage2 giving guidance on, among others, systematic progression, intervention and multi-sensory and interactive methods.  The title includes a review of different popular phonics programmes, set against the DfE (2011) criteria for high-quality phonics teaching.

What′s new to this edition?

• Audit and test sections at the end of every chapter so students can test themselves and see how much progress they’ve made

• A new chapter reviewing the use of technology to support the teaching of phonics.

Wendy Jolliffe is Professor of Education and worked in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for 14 years; latterly as Head of Teacher Education at the University of Hull. She worked previously as a Regional Adviser for the National Strategies and advised ITT providers on effective provision for literacy.  She has published extensively in Primary English and Cooperative Learning.

David Waugh is a former deputy headteacher who worked in ITT from 1990 at the University of Hull, where he led the PGCE course and became Head of Department. In 2008 he was appointed as one of two (the other being Wendy) National Strategies Regional Advisers for ITT. He is currently lectures at Durham University. He has published extensively in primary English, as well as developing e-learning resources for National Strategies for English, mathematics and mentoring and coaching. David also writes children’s stories, including The Wishroom, which was written with 45 children from 15 East Durham primary schools and published in 2017.

Angela Gill is Programme Director for BA Primary Education and subject lead for Primary English at Durham University, working on both UG and PGCE programmes. She is an experienced teacher and worked in primary classrooms for many years before taking up the post at Durham University.