DO read the following books for a very different set of perspectives, opinions and belief systems on how to teach reading, but caution, these books may make your stomach turn and your heart sink!

Lambirth. (2011) Literacy on the Left: reform and revolution. Available to 'look inside' on Amazon -put 'synthetic phonics' into the search box for a taste of the contents.
Andrew Lambirth is Professor of Education in the School of Education at the University of Greenwich. He describes synthetic phonics as 'Conservative Neoliberal Phonics' and says that the method was ''designed to restrict and control children in the interests of the owners of the means of production'' (J. Bald)

Wyse / Jones / Bradford / Wolpert. (2007) Teaching English, Language and Literacy. Routledge.
Dominic Wyse is Senior Lecturer in Primary Education.

Wyse D. (2007) How to help your child read and write. Pearson Education Ltd.
''The thinking of Wyse is evident on the first page of his 2007 book: “Your child can learn to read and write naturally before starting school. All it takes is their innate curiosity, and lots of reading and writing.” .... “The book is built on my knowledge of a range of strategies....” (McNee RRF message forum)

Goouch / Lambirth. (2011) Teaching Early Reading and Phonics: Creative Approaches to Early Literacy. Sage Publications.
Whole language gurus Goodman (see below) and Meek, and the multi-cueing method with its 'embedded phonics' are lauded, whilst ''vulgar'' (!) synthetic phonics is lambasted. Goouch and Lambirth are both involved in teacher training .

Sedgwick F. (2010) 100 ideas for teaching literacy. Continuum Books.
Ideas from a former headteacher, steeped in whole language philosophy.

Bell M. (2007) Learning to Read. Pegasus.
Masha Bell, a retired secondary English teacher, is an advocate for Simplified Spelling. She believes that phonics is 'only a minor part of learning to read' and children need to memorise thousands of sight words.

Clay. M (2005) Lessons in Literacy Part Two.
Review by 'maizie': http://www.rrf.org.uk/messageforum/viewtopic.php?t=2774

Cook M. (Ed.) (2002) Perspectives on the teaching and learning of phonics. UKRA.
Perspectives, opinions and beliefs. Don't look for scientific evidence in this book.

Featherstone S (Ed).(2006) L is for Sheep: getting ready for phonics. Featherstone Education.
Written by a flock of whole language advocates.

Goouch/Lambirth (Eds.) (2007) Understanding phonics and the teaching of reading. Open University Press.
''Definitely the most inaptly named book (possibly ever). The contributors don't understand phonics, let alone some poor innocent who buys it thinking it will shed some light on the subject...''(maizie RRF forum)

Goodman K. (1986) What's Whole in Whole Language? Scholastic.
Review by 'A Customer' for Amazon.co.uk: ''One can only surmise that this assortment of unfounded prescriptions was published without anyone's knowledge. The whole language fad that Mr. Goodman has been selling to naive teachers for 25 years helps to account for the illiteracy of millions of school children. California used whole language for a decade. Now they are tied with Louisiana in reading (dis)achievement.'' (Amazon.co.uk)

Graham/Kelly (Eds.) (3rd edition 2008) Reading Under Control: teaching reading in the primary school. Routledge.
Under the control of the whole language advocates...This book is to be found on many primary teacher training reading lists.

Lewis/Ellis S (Eds.) (2006) Phonics: practice, research and policy. UKLA.
Review by T.Burkard for Amazon.co.uk. Will they never understand?: 'Here we have yet another book expounding the conventional wisdom on how children learn to read. It's only natural that people who have spent their professional lives viewing 'reading' as a highly-complex subject are not going to admit that teaching reading is dead simple. At The Promethean Trust, a Norfolk-based charity, we have spent the last 17 years rescuing children who have been failed by the conventional wisdom expounded by the cosy clique of reading 'professionals' like Ms Lewis. We have proved that almost anyone can teach a child to read--so long as they use a good synthetic phonics programme....'

Tom Burkard reviews Nicholas Bielby's book, 'Making Sense of Reading' www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1YCF5MX9CVOEE

Poole J. (2008) Decoding Dyslexia. Troubador Publishing.
Poole was Prof. Bob Burden's PhD student at Exeter University Education department. The book contains ‘a rigorous scientific analysis’ of remedial and intervention programmes for dyslexics ‘based on a 5-year research project on the shared ‘active ingredients’ of 14 successful methods for helping children with dyslexia’, presumably her PhD thesis. Amongst the 'successful methods' she 'scientifically analysed' were Dore, Brain Gym, the Davis Method, 'Efalex' EFA supplements and Irlen's colour filters...Having receiving her PhD, Poole set up a homoeopathic clinic. Enough said.

Stannard/Huxford. (2007) The Literacy Game: the story of the National Literacy Strategy. Routledge. .
Review by T.Burkard for Amazon.co.uk: A sore losers' lament.
''For most people, a book about the National Literacy Strategy (NLS)--abandoned in 2005-- is about as exciting as a book about European plywood kitemarks. Nonetheless, anyone who cares about how England is (mis)governed, would do well to read this book as a cautionary tale. The authors are the principal architects of the NLS, which was a sorry exercise in bureaucratic incompetence and spin-doctoring that left at least 1.2 million children illiterate. It's hard to believe that they are still trying to defend this ruinous exercise in oppression--despite commanding the high ground inside the DfES and all of our education quangos, they lost the war of ideas. However, the book is well-written, as one would expect from such accomplished propagandists. And the authors have cast me as one of their main villains--for that alone, I had to award the second star. It's always nice to know that you've got up such thoroughly deserving noses.'' (Amazon.co.uk)