Great Regulars: I see that it is the law that teachers

must tell the families of the children who fail that their child is a failure. You have put in place an exam that will tell children as young as five that they have failed at reading. This sounds to me not much better than putting people in the stocks. "Oh no," I hear you cry, (as I've heard phonics enthusiasts tell me): "It's not a 'reading' test, it's a 'decoding' test." That's what I thought until I read on the Department for Education website: "Pupils who can read non-words should have the skills to decode almost any unfamiliar word."

So, is it "reading" or is it "decoding"?

from Michael Rosen: The Guardian: Michael Rosen's letter from a curious parent

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