What priority does the Welsh Government give to the teaching and learning of phonics in schools?
I set out very clearly in Our national mission: high standards and aspirations for all that the systematic and consistent teaching of phonics is a key part of our whole school approach to oracy and reading.
The Curriculum for Wales provides guidance that all schools should put in place a clear procedure for, and place emphasis on the systematic development of learners’ phonological and phonemic awareness.
Alongside phonics, teaching should enable learners to gain a range of skills and to apply different strategies in order to become fluent readers. The Whole School Approach to reading and oracy emphasises the importance of maintaining the motivation to read over years to help provide them with a secure basis for developing and extending their language and literacy skills.