Harry Potter · Nick Gibb · teaching of phonics · Y1 check

Reading Harry Potter by 11

Graeme Paton in yesterday’s Telegraph has headlined Nick Gibb’s latest attempts to raise standards in reading by reporting him as saying that ‘all children should read Harry Potter by 11’. At first blush, it sounds nauseatingly off-putting. Another prescriptive injunction delivered in a tweetable sound-bite by a government minister! Actually, as you read on, you… Continue reading Reading Harry Potter by 11

BBC news · Keith Stanovich · Sounds-Write · teaching of phonics

Why are advocates of phonics so defensive?

In an interview for a BBC news item about phonics with Reeta Chakrabarti, Christine Richmond, from Cannon Lane First School, said that, ‘anything that comes into schools that is going to allow children who are not achieving to be picked up by schools has got to be a good thing.’ Now, it’s not that I… Continue reading Why are advocates of phonics so defensive?