For years, phonics has been positioned as something that belongs firmly in Early Years and Key Stage 1. Once pupils reach secondary school, the assumption is often that phonics has been “done” — and if a student still can’t read fluently, the focus should shift to comprehension strategies, vocabulary work, or reading age interventions.

But in 2026, classrooms are telling a different story.

Across secondary schools, Alternative Provisions, and Virtual Schools, there are growing numbers of pupils who can discuss texts verbally, can guess meaning from context, and can mask difficulties — yet still struggle to decode unfamiliar words accurately and fluently. These pupils don’t need “more reading”. They need the foundations they never fully secured.

The uncomfortable truth

Many older struggling readers don’t have a comprehension problem — they have a phonics gap.

When decoding is insecure:

• Reading is slow and exhausting
• Cognitive energy is spent on guessing, not understanding
• Confidence drops, and avoidance grows
• Vocabulary interventions fail because pupils can’t reliably read the words being taught

Layering comprehension strategies or morphology on top of insecure decoding is like building on sand.

Why phonics still matters for secondary pupils

Phonics isn’t age-specific — it’s skill-specific.
If a pupil hasn’t developed automaticity with sounds, blending, and word recognition, those skills remain essential whether they are 6 or 16.

What does need to change for older learners is:

• the delivery (age-appropriate, not infant-style)
• the language (respectful, strengths-based)
• the resources (no cartoons, no “baby books”)
• the approach (short, targeted, assessment-led)

When phonics is revisited in a way that protects dignity and builds success quickly, older pupils often make rapid gains — not just in accuracy, but in confidence and willingness to engage with reading again.

Moving forward in 2026

As schools continue to analyse post-pandemic gaps and refine intervention strategies, it’s time to challenge the idea that phonics has an expiry date.

For secondary pupils who have struggled for years, phonics isn’t going backwards — it’s finally moving forwards, properly.

Because reading doesn’t fail at secondary school.
It was never fully built in the first place.