Editing Phonics (section)

==== Scotland ====

Synthetic phonics in Scotland has its roots in the Clackmannanshire Report, a seven-year study that was published in 2005. It compared analytic Phonics with synthetic Phonics and advantaged students with disadvantaged children. The report found that, using synthetic phonics, children from lower socio-economic backgrounds performed at the same level as children from advantaged backgrounds in primary school (whereas with analytic phonics teaching, they did significantly less well.); and boys performed better than or as well as girls.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2005/02/20682/52383|archive-url=https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20170701074158/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2005/02/20682/52383|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-07-01|title=Clackmannanshire Report, a seven-year study that was published in 2005, webarchive.org.uk }}</ref>

A five-year follow-up of the study concluded that the beneficial effects were long-lasting, in fact the reading gains increased.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4938/1/nls_phonics0303rjohnston.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4938/1/nls_phonics0303rjohnston.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Accelerating Reading and Spelling with Synthetic Phonics: A Five Year Follow Up, Johnston & Watson}}</ref>

Subsequently, [[Education Scotland]] concluded that explicit, systematic phonics programs, usually embedded in a rich literacy environment, give an additional four months progress over other programs such as whole language, and are particularly beneficial for young learners (aged 4–7). There is evidence, though less secure, that synthetic phonics programs may be more beneficial than [[analytic phonics]] programs; however it is most important to teach systematically.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://education.gov.scot/improvement/pages/EEF-Toolkit-Results.aspx?911459f09ef0012d8e7c32f03e32d003d881d45febd1eba332753219e922d8f5|title=National Improvement Hub:Phonics|access-date=2020-06-19|archive-date=2018-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709011653/https://education.gov.scot/improvement/pages/EEF-Toolkit-Results.aspx?911459f09ef0012d8e7c32f03e32d003d881d45febd1eba332753219e922d8f5|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[PISA]] 2018 reading results of 15-year-old students, Scotland's score was above average, 504 as compared to the [[OECD]] average of 487.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/28450521-en.pdf?expires=1592595146&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=7B88AF82F7B774AD08D0C997C3CF5601|title=PISA results, 2018 Table 1.4.4|date=3 December 2019|doi=10.1787/28450521-en|s2cid=242908925}}</ref> Scotland does not participate in [[PIRLS]].