As a child I easily read and understood (from context) words like "Archaeopteryx" without any attempts to sound them out.
Could I then pronounce it correctly? Of course not. But some kid tediously trying to "sound it out" isn't goung to end up pronouncing it correctly either.
There is more than adequate empirical evidence that vast numbers of children are not well-able to learn in that manner, and that phonics works for most of them. That our education establishment insists on a one-size-fits-all approach is insane.