Alexandra Blair (left), The Times's education correspondent, explains why the Government wants to change the way children learn to read

What is Synthetic Phonics?

Synthetic Phonics is a way of teaching children to read which is based on the 44 sounds made by letters of small groups of letters which comprise the English language.

Once the letters denoting these sounds (21 consonants, 5 vowels, and double-letter sounds such as ch, sh, th, oo, ee, etc) can be recognised, the child is taught to blend them into word (eg, c-a-t or s-t-r-ee-t).

Advocates say that by teaching children the building blocks of language they are quickly able to decode any word.

Sounds very traditional, what happened?

In the 1960s, phonics teaching was replaced by what were considered more child-friendly methods such as "look and say" or "whole language" learning.

These encouraged whole-word recognition in the belief that children would learn to read without having to learn the alphabet by rote.

This method has increasingly been dismissed by critics as "look and guess" because some children use other clues from the page or memorise the stories which they then purport to read.

Why has Synthetic Phonics become the latest educational fad?

It is being debated again after a seven-year study using synthetic phonics exclusively in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, showed that by the time children had reached 11 years old, their reading abilities were three years more advanced than their peers. There was also no difference in the ability of girls and boys, nor did the child's background impact on their achievement.

At the same time national reading tests found that 22 per cent of 11-year-old children did not reach the expected standard in English in 2004, by the time they entered secondary school. As a result the Commons Select Committee urged the Government to consider piloting synthetic phonics nationwide.

Why is it controversial?

It is controversial because some teachers believe it is being credited with achieving unrealistic results. Others say it is turning the clock back to pre-1950s teaching. Advocates insist it must be taught to the exclusion of all else and that the current approach of combining it with other teaching methods is confusing.

Critics of the new methods are especially concerned that a lot of dyslexic children fail to be spotted at an early stage because they are guessing words rather than reading them.

Isn't the best way to learn to read by sharing a book with someone who loves you?

Of course, but many parents are working and do not have time to sit down and read with their children after school. Many of those who do however, will be teaching them synthetic phonics automatically, as that is how they learned to read.

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