Posted by: Lee Owston,
Acting National Director Education,
We have been writing about how important it is for all children
to be able to read for some time now.
This blogpost focuses on pupils with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) who are not reading fluently.
Learning to read is essential for all pupils because it helps
them to:
- read for pleasure
- study all subjects in the curriculum
- be prepared for life.
That is why our education inspection framework (EIF) places a
strong emphasis on how well all pupils, including disadvantaged
pupils and those with SEND, are taught to read.
All pupils need the same knowledge of the alphabetic code
to become independent readers and spellers
Extensive research shows how important teaching systematic
synthetic phonics (SSP) is until children can decode
automatically.
SSP represents a body of knowledge needed for word reading (and
spelling). Without the knowledge they build through being taught
SSP, pupils will struggle to read unfamiliar words.
This is true for all pupils who are learning to read, including
those with SEND. Broadly speaking, it will only be those pupils
with severe cognitive difficulties that cannot be taught the
alphabetic code.
The curriculum remains the same but the pedagogy might be
different
We know that sometimes, schools assume – mistakenly - that if
pupils are struggling with reading, then phonics has not worked
and pupils must need something different. But understanding the
alphabetic code, that the letters on the page represent the
sounds in spoken words, is the basis of successful word reading.
Study upon study show that children who have been diagnosed with
developmental conditions learn to decode words by relying on the
same processes as other readers.
A different curriculum, such as teaching pupils to read whole
words by sight, may appear to offer short-term success but it
will not provide a long-term strategy for decoding unfamiliar
words.
Teaching sight words (where pupils need to memorise words without
phonics) relies on an adult to tell the pupil every word. So it
does not work when there is no adult present. Nor are pupils able
to learn enough words by sight to access the curriculum
effectively.
Teaching sight words alongside phonics is confusing to pupils
because they are then unclear about which strategy to apply,
often resorting to guessing.
Some pupils with SEND will probably need a lot more practice to
secure important phonic knowledge. This does not mean phonics is
not working. It just means we need to think really carefully
about how best to help pupils secure this knowledge – what
pedagogy we are using.
For example, it may be more helpful for pupils to be in a small
group that is free from distractions. They may also benefit if
teachers break the learning down into smaller steps, and repeat
the steps more to increase overlearning.
Older pupils may need more age-appropriate resources.
Schools also need to make sure that pupils with SEND get
high-quality teaching from the staff who are early reading
experts.
Making reasonable adjustments to help pupils access the
same phonics curriculum as their peers
Pupils with SEND may have a range of difficulties that affect how
easily they are able to access the curriculum. Under the Equality
Act 2010, schools must make reasonable adjustments to enable
pupils with SEND to have full access to the curriculum and to be
able to participate in it. This includes making appropriate
phonics instruction available for children with complex needs.
When leaders are thinking about how to help pupils with SEND
access the same phonics curriculum as their peers, it’s important
that they assess the individual pupil’s needs. Knowing each
individual’s learning needs then plays an important part in
helping staff to choose the most effective pedagogy to secure the
knowledge being taught. Assessment should identify the precise
knowledge which pupils need in order to progress through the
curriculum. Teaching can then target this knowledge precisely.
What effective schools do
Inspection evidence shows us that the most
effective schools teach all pupils to read, despite disadvantage
or special educational need. These schools know that pupils’
understanding of the alphabetic code underpins successful reading
and spelling. They make sure adults read to children, they teach
SSP well and they give children time to practise and consolidate
their growing knowledge.
More information
Sign up to our webinar on ‘Secondary pupils who need to catch up
with reading’, which is taking place on 22 March, 4:30 to 5:30
pm: https://bit.ly/OfstedWebinars.
(You can sign up to as many of the webinars as you like.)
You can also read the reports and blogs below
English research review Research review series:
English - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The general principles from this research are applicable to
pupils with SEND. There is also a short section on pedagogical
considerations for pupils with SEND.
The DfE’s reading framework includes a
section which relates to good practice for pupils with moderate
to severe SEND and complex needs.
The reading framework -
teaching the foundations of literacy
(publishing.service.gov.uk)
‘Supporting secondary school pupils who are behind with
reading’: https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2022/04/28/supporting-secondary-school-pupils-who-are-behind-with-reading/
‘Thousands of year 7s struggle with reading’: https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2022/09/05/thousands-of-year-7s-struggle-with-reading/
