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Eng: Ofsted inspectorate - Initial Training providers will be failed if deviating to adding non-phonics alternatives

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:49 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
This move by Ofsted is a hugely significant development in England's context - and a leading state of affairs which should be noted across the world with regard to content of, and inspection of, reading instruction course content for training student-teachers.

I have no doubt that this step has been necessary. Although in England teacher trainers have had to train student-teachers in 'systematic synthetic phonics' and pay regard to the 'Simple View of Reading' model (Gough and Tunmer, 1986 - adoption recommended by Sir Jim Rose back in 2006) for several years already, nevertheless, this has not prevented trainers from being subversive. This means that in addition to training about SSP, they could deliberately, or even inadvertently, include additional content and information, and literature recommendation, which in effect challenges and undermines the SSP training.
Ofsted to fail ITT providers over non-phonics reading

Draft new inspection handbook shows it will not be enough for trainee teachers to be taught phonics
https://www.tes.com/news/ofsted-fail-it ... cs-reading
Teacher trainers who do not exclusively teach a specific form of phonics to their students will be failed by Ofsted, according to the draft details of new inspections.

Ofsted's new inspection handbook, currently out for consultation, states that primary initial teacher training (ITT) providers will be rated "inadequate" for "quality of education and training" if they teach any reading methods other than systematic synthetic phonics.
Of course Ofsted should not have had to resort to this stipulation - but everyone who follows the international debate on reading instruction should appreciate that this is because of inadequate or flawed teacher training which does untold damage to teacher-knowledge and understanding and therefore untold damage to how our children are taught and how they will fare in the future.

I can describe, in any event, that even when teachers do provide 'systematic synthetic phonics', it is still enormously varied in content and quality. I often describe how the adults work really hard everywhere with a formula for phonics provision but in my observations, I note that children do not get enough of the right kind of practice.

So, even in England we have a long way to go! But we're getting there and perhaps, generally speaking, making more progress 'officially' than other countries where the English language is taught for reading and spelling.