The aim of this research is to understand the theory, policy and practice of teaching literacy in schools, in particular primary schools. My main interest is in phonics, which has been much debated and which attracts much interests from policy makers, publishers and others. For this study, I use classroom observations, interviews and critical discourse analysis of policy documents and other texts. I am currently writing a book based on the findings from this study. The book, entitled 'Literacy and education: policy, practice and public opinion' will be published by Routledge in 2015.