Although Bethan Marshall “Read the riot act to phonics lobbyists”, (TES, June 17) disapproves of a review of the efficacy of synthetic phonics, the Commons Education Select Committee in its report Teaching Children to Read expressed concern that “there has not so far been any decisive research evidence determining the value of dedicated synthetic phonics directly compared to the mixture of phonics and other strategies in the National Literacy Strategy”.
It says such a comparative study should be commissioned to provide that vital evidence. It is surely defeatist to believe that the debate about phonics can never reach a satisfactory conclusion.
Rev John Brown 3 Manor Way Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex
