The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of daily phonics interventions for children below age related expectations. It was designed to examine how this would affect their blending accuracy in reading and spelling accuracy in writing. The children selected were below age expected from across KS1 (Year 1 and 2). The Year 1 cohort had reduced time in EYFS as a result of COVID 19 partial school closures. The Year 2 cohort lost face to face teaching for periods of Reception and Year 1. In Autumn 2020, research carried out by the Department
for Education, the Education Policy Institute and Renaissance Learning, found a learning loss of up to 2 months in reading for primary school children as a result of the COVID 19 impact. A report published by the NFER stated “the impact of lockdowns on the development of literacy skills at an early age is of particular concern”, as “early reading plays a key part in children’s later achievement”.
In the current study, children received four, fifteen minute phonics interventions a week, in addition to their daily literacy and reading lessons. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured against their phonics screening scores, writing across the curriculum and book band level.