Early Day Motion urging rethink on phonics test for 6 year olds published!

Partly as a result of UKLA’s campaign an Early Day Motion urging a rethink of the phonics test for 6 year olds in England has been placed before parliament by Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. The motion  reads: That this House endorses the views of many early years experts in calling for a rethink on the introduction of a phonics-based reading test for all 6 year olds; believes that phonics can play a crucial part in reading but that a simplistic exclusive focus on phonics can distort children’s learning and limit the breadth of their experience; believes that reading should be enjoyable and that children need to look for meaning as they read in order to develop fluency and understanding; and further believes that young children need to have highly trained teachers with an understanding of child development and that such teachers are best placed to identify children who are not reading at an appropriate level for their age and level of development through appropriate monitoring and observation.Early day motions are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view. An MP can add their signature to an EDM to show their support. We urge all UKLA members and others interested in the teaching of early reading to write to their MPs and ask them to support this motion. Your MP will need to know it is Early Day Motion number 1532.Please let us know if you get a positive response from your MP