Results in England's statutory Year One Phonics Screening Check from 2012 to 2017 have shown a substantial increase in the number of children reaching or exceeding the 32 out of 40 words read (correctly or plausibly) which is evidence enough that the advent of the check is raising the effectiveness of phonics teaching in England.
http://ssphonix.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/ ... ening.html
Do read the whole post, it is not long.Y1 Phonics Screening
I find it deeply concerning that so many in the profession still undervalue the statutory Y1 phonics screening check or, even worse, dismiss it with scornful derision.
Consider this. What if this county were faced with a widespread epidemic of some very serious illness, but one which could very successfully be treated if detected early enough? Would it not be sensible to screen all those at risk to identify potential problems in time to intervene effectively? And, if it were very difficult to distinguish individuals at risk at the early stage necessary for that successful treatment, would it not be the most efficacious (and responsible) course to provide universal screening for those in the potentially vulnerable category?
The current case with children learning to read (or rather not learning to read) is, in many respects, directly comparable. Of course being unable to read well is not an illness, but it does, often, very seriously blight lives. It also denies access to all the life-enhancing learning and enrichment that reading can bring.
We know from countless examples of schools who teach systematic, synthetics phonics thoroughly and well, using one of the outstanding programmes now available, that almost all children (of whatever socio-economic background) can learn to read fluently by the end of Key Stage 1 or before.