Dr Robyn Wheldall’s article ‘Closing the reading gap: phonics screening is a critical safety net for students’, was published by Education HQ on 16 October 2025.
In the article, Dr Wheldall explains how phonics screening plays a vital role in the early detection of struggling readers in the critical first years of schooling. This follows Queensland’s adoption of the mandatory phonics screening check for Year 1 students in every public school across the state. Developed in the UK, the screening check is now being adopted by several Australian states (New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland). However, it risks being dismissed as just another ‘test’, misrepresenting what it is and what it has achieved.
Read the full article here.
