The Sydney Morning Herald | Back to basics phonics test to be rolled out in Australian schools The Sydney Morning Herald A five-minute reading check for first-graders that includes made-up words like "beff" and "shup" has dramatically improved early literacy rates in the UK and is set to be adopted in Australia. The Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has ... Five minutes of phonics to lift child literacy levels Simon Birmingham backs phonics check for all year 1 children |