What Is Phonics? And What to Do When It Isn’t Enough

By Deborah Salsbury

If your child is in primary school, you have almost certainly heard the word phonics.

Phonics is one of the main ways children are taught to read in UK schools.

For many children, it works well.

But what happens when it doesn’t?

At The Reading Doctor, we regularly meet children who have had years of phonics teaching and still struggle to read. This doesn’t mean phonics is wrong, but it does mean it’s only part of the picture.

What Is Phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching reading that focuses on the link between sounds (phonemes) and the letters that represent them (graphemes).

Children learn to:

• Blend sounds to read words (decoding)

• Break words into sounds to spell (encoding)

For example: shop → sh – o – p → shop

Phonics gives children a logical system for tackling unfamiliar words, and it is an important foundation of reading.

Why Is Phonics Important?

Phonics is important because:

• It helps children decode new words

• It supports spelling

• It provides a structured starting point for reading

There is strong evidence that systematic phonics teaching benefits many children, including those with dyslexia.

But here’s the key point:

Being able to decode words is not the same as being able to read.

What Phonics Alone Doesn’t Teach

Phonics teaches children how to read the word, but not necessarily how to understand it.

To become successful readers, children also need to:

• Understand meaning (comprehension)

• Build vocabulary

• Read with fluency and expression

• Stay engaged and motivated

• See themselves as readers

Without these, reading can remain slow, effortful and frustrating, even if phonics knowledge is secure.

When Phonics Works And When It Doesn’t

For many children, phonics teaching in school is enough.

But for others, it isn’t.

At The Reading Doctor, we often work with children who:

• Have followed a phonics scheme

• Have experienced multiple phonics programmes without success

• Can sound out words

• Avoid reading or struggle to understand what they read

This is particularly common in:

• Neurodivergent learners

• Children with dyslexia

• Pupils who have experienced repeated reading failure

• Older children who have “missed the moment”

Why Does Phonics Not Work for Some Children?

From our experience, difficulties often arise because:

• Phonics has been taught in isolation without linking to meaning or real reading

• Learning has been too rigid or scheme-led rather than responsive to the child

• Gaps have gone unnoticed in earlier stages

• The child has become disengaged after repeated difficulty or failure

• Reading has lost its purpose becoming a task rather than something meaningful

In these cases, simply doing more phonics is rarely the answer.

A More Complete Approach to Reading

Reading is not a single skill, it is a combination of:

• Decoding

• Language

• Memory

• Attention

• Motivation

• Experience

That’s why effective reading support must go beyond phonics alone.

How The Reading Doctor Approach Is Different

At The Reading Doctor, phonics is an important part of what we do, but it is never taught in isolation.

We:

• Assess each child carefully to identify exact gaps

• Teach phonics alongside comprehension, vocabulary and fluency

• Use multi-sensory, dyslexia-friendly approaches

• Choose books that matter to the child

• Rebuild confidence and engagement

Many of our pupils come to us after phonics hasn’t worked for them, and for the first time, reading starts to make sense.

👉 Find your nearest Reading Doctor

👉 Learn more about our personalised reading approach

👉 Explore our dyslexia screener

When Should You Be Concerned?

It may be time to seek support if your child:

• Is in Year 2 or above and still struggling to read

• Can sound out words but doesn’t understand them

• Avoids reading or becomes frustrated

• Has had repeated phonics intervention without progress

• Has SEND or suspected dyslexia

Early support matters, but it’s never too late to rebuild reading.

Final Thought

Phonics is a powerful tool, but it is not the whole toolbox.

For some children, unlocking reading requires a broader, more personalised approach that connects decoding with meaning, confidence and real engagement.

That’s where The Reading Doctor makes the difference.