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.