Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department made of the effectiveness of teaching early literacy through Phonics.

There is a significant body of evidence that demonstrates that systematic phonics is a highly effective method for teaching early reading. According to the Education Endowment Foundation, phonics approaches are consistently effective in supporting younger readers to master the basics of reading, with an average impact of an additional four months’ progress.

The Department is investing £26 million in a national network of English hubs to support local schools in developing their teaching practice, with a focus on systematic phonics.