Reading and a love of reading begin at home

sir – Twice within a period of six months, at my hospital paediatric clinic, I had mothers of 12-year-old daughters express their worry to me that their children enjoyed reading. Both girls had mobile phones which they used, but much of their free time was spent reading.

I told both mothers that they should indeed be grateful and offer encouragement to the girls. Both reading and the love of reading should begin in the home. Professor Julian Verbov

Liverpool

sir – Michael Gove, in his former role of education secretary, has been credited with the re-introduction of phonics in the teaching of reading.

His name is an interesting one, in that ove can be pronounced in different ways, as in love, move and novel. How does the teaching of phonics help with these and many other words which cannot be readily broken down into individual sounds?

Whitstable, Kent

sir – David Hughes (Letters, December 11) need wonder no more what effect phonics has had on writing ability. It has enabled children to become independent spellers and writers.

Without the skill of being able to hear the sounds in words, and the knowledge of which letters go with the sounds, they would have to learn how to spell each word in the dictionary individually – a not inconsiderable task rendered unnecessary by the good-quality, systematic teaching of synthetic phonics.

Wangford, Suffolk