Welcome to Katie Young's 'Phonics in Western Australia' website

Exciting new developments in Australia for the teaching of
reading and spelling in the English language  

The British Government has recently changed its official guidance for teachers in how to teach reading and spelling in response to research and following a parliamentary inquiry and national review. The work of experienced teachers, trainers and programme designers has helped to convince the British Government that pre-schools and schools need to change reading instruction methods. 

In 2005, the Australian National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy recommended that teachers provide: “systematic, direct and explicit phonics instruction so that children master the essential alphabetic code-breaking skills required for foundational reading proficiency.” In line with this recommendation, the Australian Primary Principals Association has endorsed synthetic phonics as the superior teaching method in a set of video clips commissioned in 2010.