Learning with sounds 'boosts reading skills'

A Scottish study has found strong evidence that teaching children literacy by using the sounds in letters speeds up their progress.

Eleven-year-old pupils in 19 primary schools run by a Scottish local authority were three years ahead in reading after using the "synthetic phonics" method.

The seven-year study, by the universities of Hull and St Andrews, also found that the pupils were on average almost two years ahead of others in Scotland at spelling.

"It is evident that the children in this study have achieved well above what would be expected for their chronological age," the report on the study says.

"We can conclude that a synthetic phonics programme, as part of the reading curriculum, has a major and long-lasting effect on children's reading and spelling attainment."

The pupils learned through the phonics system throughout their primary school years.