Two experts discuss how phonics supports early reading and what the high-quality teaching of early reading looks like in practice.
We ask what a high-quality phonics programme should offer schools and how we can ensure maximum impact with the scheme we are using.
How can we move pupils from learning to read to reading to learn and how can we instil and inspire a love of reading in our pupils to last a lifetime?
Elsewhere, we ask what Ofsted inspectors look for when they judge reading and phonics teaching in primary schools and dissect what an ambitious and enriching reading curriculum looks like.
Finally, we discuss how we can engage parents in the process of phonics and early reading and what kind of advice we can offer to families to help them support reading at home.
This episode was hosted by Helen Frostick, a National Leader of Education and a retired primary school headteacher. Helen is a long-standing member of the Headteacher Update editorial board.
Her guests were
- Ruth Elmore is director of performance and standards within the St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust comprising of 23 schools, of which 19 are primary. As part of this role Ruth has supported schools in the implementation of a range of phonics programmes, providing on-going training for staff and early reading leaders. Ruth was previously a headteacher in a primary school for seven years where she had a particular focus on the teaching of early reading and promotion of the love of reading. Ruth has experience in leading English and phonics and has taught in all year groups from EYFS to year 6.
- Martin Galway is the head of school programmes at the National Literacy Trust. Martin is a Fellow of the English Association and previously worked as a teaching and learning advisor for the Herts for Learning Primary English Team, running its acclaimed primary English blog. Martin is a former primary school teacher and his particular interests include reading fluency instruction, grammar, literacy difficulties, and oracy. Martin is a regular speaker at national and international conferences on all aspects of English and literacy.
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For details about The Headteacher Update Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at pete.henshaw@markallengroup.com