To what extent do frameworks of reading development and the phonics screening check support the assessment of reading development in England?

The purpose of this paper is to question the suitability of the phonics screening check in relation to models and theories of reading development. This paper questions the appropriateness of the check by drawing on theoretical frameworks which underpin typical reading development. I examine the Simple View of Reading developed by Gough and Tunmer and Ehri’s model of reading development. The paper argues that the assessment of children's development in reading should be underpinned and informed by a developmental framework which identifies the sequential skills in reading development.