Synthetic Phonics 'works miracles'?

The Daily Mail reports that children who struggle with reading can make dramatic progress in just a fortnight when they are given traditional lessons. The study, carried out by Civitas, has shown that primary school pupils increased their reading ages by nearly two years in as many weeks when they were given intensive 'synthetic phoniocs' lessons.

Synthetic phonics involves teaching the letter sounds of English and how to blend them together to work out unfamiliar words. Civitas claimed that this system has the potential to end the 'apartheid' between the educational haves and have-nots, and putting a stop to the 'thousands of children consigned to the educational scrapheap by the failed reading schemes promoted in the schools over the past decade.'

Does anyone have any more information about how synthetic phonics might affect teaching in Year Six?