Tudor School in Suffolk had been using a mixture of methods to teach children to read and write, with their most recently implemented programme seemingly too complicated for children in EYFS, who were struggling. The need for a simpler, yet more rigorous and systematic approach that was appealing to children became apparent during the Phonics Screening Check, when just 25% of Year 1 pupils achieved the required pass mark.

Upon changing to Jolly Phonics, the results were staggering.

Emma Ince, deputy headteacher, said: “The children picked them (letter sounds) up rapidly and almost immediately we saw some stunning results. The children seemed suddenly to love phonics, really understand it, and they developed the ability to be confident when using it in more general literacy lessons. Less than a year later in the Phonics Screening Check, our results had improved hugely with our pass rate more than double!”

Not only did the pass rates more than double the following year for the new set of Year 1 children, but the original 25% pass mark in that first cohort rose phenomenally to 89% when they were re-tested.

Judith Morgan, Year 1/2 teacher, said: “As our school results show, the progress in reading and writing is astonishing. Parents can see for themselves the fantastic progress that their children are making, as well as how much they enjoy it. I don’t think that we’ve ever heard children who say, eagerly, every morning: ‘Is it phonics groups?... YES!’”

Emma added: “I love teaching Jolly Phonics, and I know that my pupils look forward to it every day too. Knowing that the rest of the staff in the school are all on the same page as well is a massive bonus.”

Fun and multi-sensory, with teachers excited to teach and children eager to learn, resulting in proven results. We’ll be discussing this further at Bett 2017 (Stand C143), so do come and say hello. Visit www.jollylearning.co.uk or email [email protected] to find out how your school can boost your literacy levels today!