How ‘Skools’ spell the end of I before E

IT IS a mantra learnt by generations of children to help master the vagaries of the language.

END OF AN ERA Schools want to ban tried and tested grammer methods END OF AN ERA: Schools want to ban tried and tested grammer methods

But now Government advice says the “i before e except after c” rule is no longer worth teaching.

The National Strategies Primary guidelines were last night branded “ridiculous” by campaigners who warn that concern about the decline of spelling in Britain’s schools will only be heightened.

The document Support for Spelling includes 124 pages on teaching the “rich” English spelling system. It says that “i before e except after c” has so many exceptions that children should instead learn the words for which it does apply, such as receive, conceit, deceit and ceiling.

Teachers are told: “The ‘i before e except after c’ rule is not worth teaching. It applies only to words in which the ie or ei stands for a clear ‘ee’ sound and unless this is known, words such as ‘suffi cient, veil and their’ look like exceptions...it is easier to learn the specific words.”

Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said yesterday: “This is ridiculous meddling for meddling’s sake. The rule has been taught in schools for years because it worked. It’s served children and adults for generations.”

Judy Parkinson, author of the book I Before E (Except After C), which has sold 450,000 copies said: “There are words that it doesn’t fit but teachers could always get a discussion going about the rule and the peculiarities of the English language, and have fun with it. That’s the best way to learn.”

The guidelines also suggest that children analyse TV listings for compound words and learn about homophones through jokes such as: ‘How many socks in a pair?

None – because you eat a pear.’ The guidance follows a study which claimed that the widespread 'textspeak' such as ‘fone’ and ‘skool’ can boost literacy skills. Support for Spelling became available to English primary school teachers last month and is designed to be used for children in years two to six.

Sally Rundell, Senior Director of Literacy at the National Strategies Primary, said: “Competent spellers need to spend less time and energy in thinking about spelling to enable them to channel their time and energy into the skills of composition, sentence structure and precise word choice.”

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?