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Primary EYFS/KS1 Phonics Programmes & Schemes Of Work
A list of almost every phonics scheme and programme compared, each checked if they are DfE validated. Many of the spelling and reading programmes we list will also be linked to the schemes below.
See also: Phonics/Reading Intervention Programmes, Reading Schemes, Spelling Schemes
Phonics Shed
EdShed
Phonics Shed is a DfE validated systematic synthetic phonics programme with coverage from sound awareness in pre-school, into a full phonics scheme of learning that leads into Spelling Shed’s complementary spelling system and is also compatible with 2007 Letters and Sounds.
Learning to decode and encode is fun and engaging with Phonics Shed. Phonics Shed uses a unique narrative driven, multi-sensory approach to introduce children to GPCs. Each GPC is introduced by a colourful character from the Phonics Shed garden, who also have their own teaching story, song, action, letter formation rhyme and decodable book. Online games for each GPC further support and consolidate learning. The combination of our systematic approach with so many different "hooks" into learning means children's learning is accelerated. Phonics Shed is used by schools, pre-schools, international schools and homeschoolers.
DfE Validated
Features
Comprehensive planning and resources for daily direct teaching sessions. Includes intervention and consolidation planning.
Cumulatively covers every phoneme and grapheme from the National Curriculum, Phonics Screening Check content and more to access a wider range of reading materials.
Full narrative book series, songs, actions and formation rhymes, for children to practise and apply known phoneme-grapheme correspondences and encounter common exception words.
Decodable reading books, eBooks and games for each GPC.
Supported by technology, including data and assessment tools.
Staff Training & Support
Phonics Shed includes Ready, Set, Go! Training. This two hour online training demonstrates how to implement the scheme. Full teacher guidance and for delivering the Phonics Shed programme online, as well as interventions for catch-up and pronunciation guidance videos for each GPC are also included. Further paid training includes ‘Developing Phonics Practice using Phonics Shed’ and ‘New to Phonics’ Training.
Cost
Annual Subscription (£2.00 per pupil/year + VAT for schools, £49.99 per year including VAT for teachers and £39.00 per year including VAT for parents/carers). Learn more about our pricing and physical resources here.
Email support@edshed.com for a free demo call and 30-day free trial · Visit Website
Ready Steady Phonics
Literacy Counts
Ready Steady Phonics is a DfE Validated progressive systematic synthetic programme which builds upon and expands the original 2007 Letters and Sounds. It contains detailed guidance for effective implementation, and carefully crafted fully decodable text (electronic and physical) that exactly match children’s growing phonic subject skills and knowledge.
It also aligns to current National Curriculum requirements and the Revised EYFS Curriculum 2021. It has a well-defined, cumulative progression for the teaching of Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs) and Common Exception Words (CEW) for reading and spelling in Reception and KS1. Ready Steady Phonics is also a Finalist in the BETT International Awards!
Literacy Counts – We lead on the teaching and leadership of reading, writing, phonics and spelling for individual schools and MATs. Our award-winning resources and expert, bespoke consultancy drive whole-school improvement and raise outcomes
DfE Validated
Features
Comprehensive daily Teaching Progression, detailing the GPCs, cumulative teaching sequence and the progressive introduction of CEWs
Each week has four lessons introducing new learning and a consolidation and assessment opportunity in the fifth
Decodable online and physical Readers support the teaching content of each week
Each year, six Summative Assessment Intervals and resources to ensure practitioners monitor children’s progression and identify those needing additional Ready Steady Go (keep up support)
Lesson plans, IWB resources, Word Cards & Workbooks are provided for each lesson
Staff Training & Support
Ready Steady Phonics (Green Membership) offers overview training modules for unlimited access to practitioners. A further 20-module online training offer is available which offers support for all stakeholders. Prices dependant on size of school. INSET launches of Ready Steady Phonics and ongoing Consultancy support are available to book. Contact mari@literacycounts.co.uk for more information.
Cost
The annual membership for a 1-form entry school is £565(+VAT). To ensure you get the most out of your membership, essential implementation training is available separately. For a tailored quote that meets your school's specific needs, contact hello@literacycounts.co.uk
mari@literacycounts.co.uk · 07522 514759 · Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School Case Study · Highfield Community Primary School Case Study · Impact Counts 2024 Report · Ready Steady Phonics Resource Brochure · FREE Info Webinar
Bug Club Phonics
Pearson
Practice and assessment games in every unit.
New target phonemes are taught via interactive lessons.
You can choose to use the Read to Me tool
Practice and assessment games in every unit.
Excite your children and give them a firm foundation in phonics.
Part of the Bug Club family, Bug Club Phonics is one of the DfE’s approved systematic synthetic phonics programmes (revalidated in 2021!). It aims to help all children in your school learn to read by the age of six in a fun and accessible way. Following its own proven progression, the whole school programme, with 180 fully decodable books to explore, matches the National Curriculum and Early Learning Goals.
Bug Club Phonics meets the requirements for the Ofsted framework. We’ve produced a detailed analysis so you may be confident in Bug Club Phonics’ ability to support your school in meeting the requirements.
DfE Validated
Features
180 fun, varied, decodable books – with a mix of fiction and non-fiction readers there’s plenty of exciting stories to choose from.
Whole-Class Teaching and eBooks subscription which includes all the eBooks plus lesson plans, interactive whiteboard lessons, videos, games and more.
Prepare and Assess – prepare your children for the screening check and get them ready for a lifetime of reading.
Classroom resources - 100% matched to the Bug Club Phonics programme and resources, meaning you can teach with flexibility and fidelity. Use them with confidence knowing they match the Bug Club Phonics GPCs and progression.
Professional Development courses to develop confidence and competence with the Bug Club Phonics whole-class teaching materials.
Staff Training & Support
Bug Club Phonics provides everything time-strapped teachers need to run the whole programme including instructions and tips, plans, assessment sheets, worksheets, photocopiables and more. We even offer a brilliant Bug Club Phonics Professional Development course in case you need a phonics refresher!
Cost
Bug Club Phonics is available to buy in whatever way suits you – take a look at our Primary Literacy Reading Pathways to find out more. Our comprehensive selection of resources are available to view on our website and are eligible for funding via the English Hubs. We offer a discount for small schools too!
0845 630 1111 · Request a Call Back · Case Studies · Free Trial · Visit Website
Scheme Name
Scheme Publisher
Year Group
Anima Phonics
Anima Phonics
DfE Validated
Subscription
Created by teachers, trusted by schools and validated by the DfE, Anima Phonics is the proven way to learn to read. Children are enthused, parents are engaged and teachers have the tools at their fingertips to deliver high-quality phonics education.
Code-Breakers
Hamilton Trust
Subscription/One-off Purchase
Code-Breakers is a synthetic phonics programme that teaches phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences (PGCs) in a systematic, child-friendly fashion. It covers all the pre-requisite skills for reading – sequencing, sound identification, reproduction and discrimination – in a structured scheme of word-level work.
Essential Letters & Sounds
Knowledge Schools Trust
DfE Validated
Subscription
ELS has been built upon the latest research and understanding about how children learn to read, how we ensure that this stays in their long-term memory and how to get the best outcomes for all learners. We have drawn on the excellent practice within our own schools and those we have worked across the country whilst developing ELS.
FFT Success for All Phonics
FFT
DfE Validated
Subscription
FFT Success for All Phonics is a highly effective scheme used by 100s of schools. Developed by experts in the field, it is proven to be successful in improving pupils’ reading and spelling abilities. Offered on a not-for-profit basis, the programme is a comprehensive offering with training and support included.
First Class Phonics
BC Education
One-off Purchase
First Class Phonics provides everything that teachers need to put the fun back into phonics! It promotes a multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning and provides opportunities for children to independently practice and apply their phonic knowledge to read and spell.
Floppy's Phonics Sounds and Letters
Oxford University Press
DfE Validated
Subscription
A step-by-step and flexible DfE validated phonics programme that engages children in reading from the outset. Developed by highly respected phonics expert Debbie Hepplewhite MBE, is perfect for schools who want high-quality phonics teaching resources and professional development in a range of online formats, for full confidence in teaching phonics.
Jolly Phonics and Grammar
Jolly Learning
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
Our flagship programme, Jolly Phonics, teaches children to read and write using synthetic phonics, which is widely recognised as the most effective way to teach children to read and write in English. That was over 25 years ago. Since then our immense progress has been studied in numerous research projects, the results of which led to phonics becoming central to the UK curriculum.
Junior Learning Letters & Sounds
Junoir Learning
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
The Junior Learning Letters & Sounds programme provides complete continuity for teachers through its fidelity to the original Letters & Sounds framework and progression. It is one of the only validated programmes to extend from Nursery to Year 2 (Phases 1 to 6), and is the most comprehensive programme with over 500 decodable readers and 2000 pages of daily lessons.
LearnPhonics!
LearnPhonics!
DfE Validated
Monthly/ Annual Subscription
LearnPhonics includes daily phonics planning with an accompanying flipchart, a thorough assessment tool, pre-recorded training videos, resources such as displays, sound mats etc, additional intervention planning, resources for teaching letter formation and also weekly parent hand-outs. The lessons are structured around daily routines making it easy for teachers with no lesson prep needed.
Lesley Clarke's Letters and Sounds
Lesley Clarke Synthetic Phonics
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
The programme has been written by Lesley Clarke using the knowledge and experience aquired over 25+ years as an infant class teacher (12 of which included teaching LaS 2007 in both reception and Y1) and 20+ years as a literacy consultant (over 14 of which have been spent helping schools to effectively teach phonics using LaS 2007).
Letterland Phonics
Letterland
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
Letterland was created to teach phonics using a story-based approach. The story logic engages students leading to long term retention of concepts. What's more, Letterland is wonderfully multi-sensory. It activates every learning channel through music, actions, alliteration, movement, song, art, games and role-play.
Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised
Wandle Learning Trust
DfE Validated
Subscription
A low-cost annual membership to our programme will reduce teacher workload, ensure high quality consistent teaching of phonics and early reading for every child in every classroom and help you continue to grow a love of reading in your school.
No Nonsense Phonics
Phonics International/Debbie Hepplewhite
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
The No Nonsense Phonics Skills Pupil Books include plain ‘matched texts’ for reading and writing/spelling purposes for every letter/s-sound correspondence introduced. A matched ‘Phonics Reading Books’ series written by Debbie is in development to complement the programme - available as hard copies and a subscription eBookshelf of all the books.
Pearl Phonics
Pearl Phonics
DfE Validated
Subscription
The Pearl Phonics programme provides a paper-based step-by-step method for teaching reading and spelling. Each session is rich in content, providing phonics instruction and exercises with cumulative code (GPCs), words and short decodable texts. All resources and training are provided for a low-cost fee.
Phonics International
Phonics International/Debbie Hepplewhite
DfE Validated
Free
Phonics International (PI) is a highly-organised, systematic and yet flexible online synthetic phonics programme (program). Designed for all ages and needs and suitable for anyone who wants to learn to read and spell. Furthermore, PI is perfect for schools, tutoring and homeschooling. Teachers, teaching assistants, tutors, learners and learners' parents will all find the resources very supportive and effective. Student-teachers and teacher-trainers will also find great benefit from using our phonics programme for training purposes. Written and developed by phonics specialist Debbie Hepplewhite MBE
Phonics Shed
Education Shed
DfE Validated
Subscription
Phonics Shed is a DfE validated systematic synthetic phonics programme with coverage from sound awareness in pre-school, into a full phonics scheme of learning that leads into Spelling Shed’s complementary spelling system and is also compatible with 2007 Letters and Sounds.
Pip and Pap Phonics
The Learning Federation
DfE Validated
Subscription
Learning to read and write should be engaging, fun and fuss free. Our complete SSP programme provides a wealth of resources, including daily plans and teaching booklets, complemented by a dedicated “keep up” programme. This ensures that learners are well supported to acquire the skills and confidence needed for successful decoding and encoding.
Power Phonics
Mckie Mastery
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase/Annual Subscription
DfE validated SSP producing results including Top 2% Y1 Screening Results. This simple and unique Power Code is used in Primary, Juniors, Secondary, SEND and in Further Education. The books are non-phonics ‘looking’ and engage all ages. All staff including support staff, can be trained in one-day online or face-to-face. Free and Full Staff Training available.
Read Write Inc. Phonics
Oxford University Press
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
Developed by Ruth Miskin, Read Write Inc. Phonics is a high-impact phonics programme that transforms reading and writing for every child. Read Write Inc. Phonics is for children learning to read in Reception (P1) and Years 1 and 2 (P2 and 3), and for struggling readers in Years 3 and 4 (P5 and 6).
Snappy Sounds
MacMillan Education
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
Snappy Sounds is a systematic, synthetic phonics series, built by world class educators, authors and speech pathologists. It has been designed to make teaching phonics as simple and as speedy as possible for you and your class. Children will enjoy reading because the resources build confidence quickly.
Sounds Together
Sounds Together
DfE Validated
One-off Purchase
Sounds Together is a complete, systematic, synthetic phonics programme for use in Reception and KS1. The Programme is the 'step-up' from 'Letters and Sounds'. It provides a fresh, thorough and systematic approach to teaching and learning phonics that builds on previous professional experience and understanding, without requiring teachers to 'unlearn' the positive principles and methods of 'Letters and Sounds'.
Supersonic Phonic Friends
Supersonic Phonic Friends
DfE Validated
Subscription
Supersonic Phonic Friends is a fully systematic synthetic phonic approach. Our scheme includes the Firm Foundations in Phonics, The Basics, The Higher Levels ~ Choose to Use Spellings and Switch it Spell Sounds, as well as Key Stage 1 spelling rules.
Time For Phonics
Mrs Mactivity
DfE Validated
Subscription
Time for Phonics is a DfE validated, time-saving, straight-forward phonics programme that follow the Letters and Sounds progression. With proven results, our activity-based phonics lessons will engage children with learning to help them make rapid progress in reading. With no complicated training, mantras or characters to learn, and an easy to navigate website, you can get started straight away.
Unlocking Letters and Sounds
Unlocking Letters and Sounds
DfE Validated
Subscription
Largely following the L&S 2007 progression, ULS offers everything schools need to deliver quality phonics teaching from pre-school to the end of Autumn term in Year 2. Realistic and affordable, we’re passionate about reducing workload, increasing peace of mind, and supporting every child to become a fluent/enthusiastic reader.
Wand Phonics
Wand Education/Debbie Hepplewhite
DfE Validated
Subscription
Wand Phonics is your fully-editable online interactive resource (systematic yet flexible if required) for teaching Phonics from beginners in Reception (4+) through KS1 to KS2. Wand Phonics provides quick access to 120 Phonics lessons each with 13 core activities. Wand Phonics is designed to support teaching and learning, ongoing assessment, and work in partnership with ‘home’ when used to support mainstream class teaching and/or intervention. Wand Phonics saves teachers time and effort spent on lesson planning and provides multi-sensory practice for learners.
Wand Phonics by Debbie Hepplewhite can be used as a blended programme with either No Nonsense Phonics or Phonics International.
