Here is an interesting development following my comments re the title of the Ofsted video clip - a 'tweet' this morning from Ofsted states that the title will be changed:
See our short video
http://ow.ly/ZQXeG about reading in the early years. Apologies: incorrect title of phonics will be changed!
We have plenty of evidence to know that blogging and tweeting is empowering teachers, and others, to communicate with various people in authority and to therefore have their voice heard to make a difference - when historically 'snail mail' would have made no real difference or taken much more sustained effort to make a difference or even to be acknowledged.
Sadly, however, six people, including me, worked collaboratively over a long period in 2013 to challenge some video footage which, in effect, undermined our work and guidance. Our efforts included meetings, phone calls, emails, written letters and a paper - and one Ofsted inspector was delegated the job of liaising with us. Our efforts to challenge some aspects of the video footage rolled out under Ofsted's banner were to no avail and, to this day, the video footage is still available to view with the clout of Ofsted behind it. The youtube 'comments' facility was disabled.
Perhaps it is time to re-address the criticism of the Ofsted, 'Literacy: a non-negotiable' series of videos in which the infamous 'phonics-parachute game' (amongst other practices which are not fit-for-purpose) undermined the work of serious and senior educationalists specialising in phonics and literacy.
I refer to the phonics-parachute game in my keynote speech (Reading Reform Foundation conference, March 2015) - if you have any interest in this issue you can watch the footage from the 41 mins point here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5QT8kEQ_zU
Our group of six would say it is no wonder that schools in England are stalling at the national average of 77% of Year One children reaching or exceeding the benchmark for the statutory Year One Phonics Screening Check as the Ofsted video footage of the phonics-parachute game and other practice is entirely misleading. Admittedly, the three schools featured in the video footage were judged to be outstanding by Ofsted but the practice that is filmed is
not outstanding and definitely not fit-for-purpose for core systematic synthetic phonics provision to ensure success for every child according to those people who specialise in the field.
I have broadly analysed some of the reasons why teachers everywhere are working very hard but not to the best effect possible. If anyone is interested in this analysis, you can view this from the point of 36 minutes of my RRF conference talk.
