...... from the White Paper

 Training Needs?

Ensure that there is support available to every school for the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics, as the best method for teaching reading. (para 12)

Do you need support in your school to ensure a whole school approach to systematic phonics teaching?

Reform initial teacher training so that more training is on the job, and it focuses on key teaching skills including teaching early reading and mathematics, managing behaviour and responding to pupils’ Special Educational Needs. (para 2.6)

How well does your school manage the teaching of early reading, provide for pupils’ special needs and manage behaviour?

The initial training of teachers is perhaps the most important part of their professional development. Over a twenty-year period, initial teacher training has tended to focus more sharply on classroom practice. Even so, new teachers report that they are not always confident about some key skills that they need as teachers, for example the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics as the proven best way to teach early reading, and the management of poor behaviour in the classroom. (para 2.20)

Do you have newly qualified teachers who do not feel properly equipped to plan and deliver systematic phonics teaching for reading and spelling and how to integrate this into the wider curriculum? 

...Ensure that all children have the chance to follow an enriching curriculum by getting them reading early. That means supporting the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics and introducing a simple reading check at age six to guarantee that children have mastered the basic skills of early reading and also ensure we can identify those with learning difficulties. (para 4.6)

Do the staff members of your school know how to easily build assessment into the systematic phonics teaching and learning programme of work and how best to engage children with their own assessment and inform their parents regularly?

The evidence is clear that the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective way of teaching young children to read, particularly for those at risk of having problems with reading. Unless children have learned to read, the rest of the curriculum is a secret garden to which they will never enjoy access. As this is an area of such fundamental importance, we will go further than in any other area in actively supporting best practice. We will provide the resources to support the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in primary schools. We will support all schools with key stage one pupils to implement this approach by providing funding for high-quality training and classroom teaching resources. (para 4.16)  

Are you able to deliver high-quality in-school training and evaluate classroom teaching
resources for sustained continuity?

To reinforce this, Ofsted will enhance its inspectors’ expertise in assessing the teaching of reading, so that their judgements reflect appropriate expectations and recognise particular features of systematic synthetic phonics teaching. We will also reform initial teacher training to ensure that trainee teachers have the confidence to teach systematic synthetic phonics. (para 4.17) 

Will appropriately-trained Ofsted inspectors see good synthetic phonics practice and progression in your school for reading, spelling and handwriting?

When young people compete for jobs and enter the workplace, they will be expected to communicate precisely and effectively so we think that changes in the last decade to remove the separate assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar from GCSE mark schemes were a mistake. We have asked Ofqual to advise on how mark schemes could take greater account of the importance of spelling, punctuation and grammar for examinations in all subjects. (para 4.50)

Are the staff members of your school trained and supported to teach spelling and to mark for spelling for key stage two and three?

We will simplify and modernise statutory requirements about the information which schools must make available for parents. We will require schools to publish comprehensive information online. This should include for example (and as appropriate): admissions information and oversubscription criteria, the school’s curriculum, the school’s phonics and reading schemes, arrangements for setting pupils, the behaviour policy and home school agreement, the special needs policy, information about how the school uses the Pupil Premium, and clear signposting for parents who would like more detailed information on any policies and strategies. (para 6.7)

Have you identified your school's synthetic phonics programme and supporting decodable reading books in your literacy policy and school’s brochure?