Synthetic Phonics

Synthetic Phonics Program Doubles Normal Rate of Progress

Hampshire Education Authority have confirmed the research findings, first reported in 2003 by the Department of Education and Skills, in the document "Targeting Support: Choosing And Implementing Interventions For Children With Significant Literacy Difficulties" (Ref: DfES 0201/2003), that the THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) phonics program is able to "at least double the normal rate of progress" made by primary school children that have reading and spelling difficulties.

On Wednesday, ITV program "Meridian Tonight," obtained an interview with Dr Roger Norgate, Consultant Educational Psychologist, Hampshire LEA. He confirmed that evidence, taken from eight schools in Hampshire, showed that the children's average reading scores more than doubled during the 8 months of the study and some children's reading ages improved by over 3 years (a ratio gain of over 4, that is, over four months progress per month).

Although the details of the findings have not yet been made public, the confirmation is likely to be of considerable interest to Ruth Kelly, Minister of Education, because THRASS is one of the programs to be investigated in the Rose Review.

The purpose of the review, according to a letter written in the Times Educational Supplement by Barry Sheerman, MP for Huddersfield, and chairman of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, is to "look objectively at the evidence about what works best" (Time to Settle the Great Phonics Row, TES, 3 June).

In an interview for the same television program, Alan Davies, educational psychologist and pioneer of THRASS, said, "THRASS is used in thousands of schools worldwide. Just this week, I learned that the Botswana Government are to fund the implementation of THRASS in 20 rural schools in Serowe, In a few weeks time, I am meeting with the Minister of Education for South Africa, to discuss the impact of THRASS in South African schools and universities.

THRASS is highly regarded in some of the most prestigious government and independent schools in the world but it is also highly regarded in township schools in Johannesburg and schools for deaf Zulu children in Durban.

I hope that this increases the chances of my program being fully considered by my own Government. The Select Committee's job was to consult with those who criticize the poor standard of phonics teaching in schools, THRASS is not even mentioned and there is not one reference to my well-known criticism that the majority of teachers in England are not able to identify the 44 sounds of English and their 120 main spelling choices."

The results are also likely to be of concern to Debbie Hepplewhite, Reading Reform Foundation, advocate of synthetic phonics first approaches, because of her stated view that "THRASS is not a pure synthetic phonics approach".

With THRASS, parents help their children read words by blending sounds (synthesis) but they also look at the patterns in words (analysis). See www.thrass.co.uk/nm.htm

September 24, 2005

Via the much recommended 'eMedia Wire' website.