Research School Network: Systematic Phonics: Successful Implementation Primary Literacy Lead and Headteacher Gill Dowson takes us through her schools approach and Implementation

In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to reduce the impact of ​‘lost learning’ accrued during Covid-19. To make a significant difference to pupils’ learning, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, we felt for us as a school, the need to provide our pupils with the knowledge to enable them to become skilled, confident readers throughout their lives was more critical, yet challenging, than ever.

One such approach to address this challenge is Systematic Phonics: widely recognised in a number of studies and reviews as a beneficial approach. But how to implement the approach successfully? How to make a significant difference to pupils’ learning?

The EEF Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 Guidance Report, recommends a school-wide process for effective implementation of a systematic phonics programme. When considering evidence-based guidance and how it could improve our classroom practice, we realised that by no means does it provide a ​‘one size fits all’ solution. Having unpicked the findings to support our thinking, it emphasised the importance of making consideration to the context of our setting and the needs of our pupils.

Using the school implementation process from ​‘Putting Evidence to Work – A School’s Guide to Implementation’, we created a timeline for implementation and review that suited us as a school. We looked at the ​‘Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1’ guidance and recommendation summary three: ​‘Effectively implement a systematic phonics programme’. The five key messages from the guidance document shaped and supported our thinking and supported our next steps:

Training: ensure all staff have the necessary pedagogical skills and content knowledge.

Responsiveness: check if learning can be accelerated or extra support is needed and identify specific capabilities and difficulties to focus teaching.

Engagement: lessons engage pupils and are enjoyable to teach.

Adaptations: carefully consider the potential impact of adaptations to the programme.

Focus: a responsive approach to grouping pupils is likely to help focus effort and improve teaching efficiency

We found them reassuring and the message shaped our response. We then made a decision as to our approach as a collective group.

The first step was to identify gaps in the skill set of teachers and teaching assistants and provide training to ensure all staff were skilled to be able to deliver the programme. We also used this training as an opportunity to develop a culture and climate in the school which helped bring ​‘fidelity’ to the programme, a commitment and a ​‘by in’ from all the staff involved. The shared vision in the school helped staff to enhance new learning, and support learning lost, and to decide what our response should be to regular assessments.

We were clear how the EEF guidance provided the opportunity to consider strategies to encourage pupil engagement and motivation through quality first teaching. In addition, the ​‘Working with Parents to Support Children’s Learning’ guidance provided ideas and approaches, which we shared with parents to support their children at home. Parental engagement and support proved to be an integral part of the success of the programme. Use of the EEF guidance fed into our strategic thinking and allowed us to review and adapt the programme ensuring the teaching groups were fluid, pupils were being targeted appropriately and lessons were focused and purposeful with high quality outcomes for all abilities. We recommend the use of the EEF Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 Guidance Report guidance to support the successful implementation of Systematic Phonics as we feel this was the key to success for us. To find out more, explore our programmes:· Improving Primary Literacy· Implementation: Putting Evidence to Work

To contact Gill Dowson – contact her via Research@​BHCET.​org.​uk

To find out more sign up to register your interest in our Primary Literacy programme (dates to be announced shortly) https://researchschool.org.uk/…

Read the updated KS1 Guidance report here