The Sounds-Write Blog
A Decline in Handwriting and Why It Matters
According to a National Literacy Trust survey, ‘more than a third of children rarely or never write by hand in their spare time’. Should we be surprised or worried by this? asked Jonny Diamond on BBC’s The World At One (6th December 2024) in conversation with Melissa...
The Importance of ‘Keep-Up’ Interventions
Whether you are at the start of the year, as our Australian colleagues are, or mid-year as our UK and US colleagues are, it is ALWAYS a good time to talk about the importance of ‘keep-up' intervention. What are ‘keep-up’ interventions? Whilst at Sounds-Write we...
‘It is a pleasure to see their confidence grow’: Cardinal Hume Secondary School
Allison Shaw worked as a primary school teacher for over 30 years before becoming a Higher Level Teaching Assistant at Cardinal Hume, an ‘Outstanding’ (Ofsted, 2024) secondary school in the northeast of England. A strong interest in reading and literacy, shared with...
Phonics Screening Check – Tips for a Strong Start to the Academic Year (Australia)
Whilst the timing of this blog was prompted by the start of the new academic year in Australia, the guidance will be useful to teachers using a Phonics Screening Check anywhere around the world. In fact, we shared a VERY similar post back in September for the start of...
The Cumulative Nature of Sounds-Write: Supporting Progress Towards the Phonics Screen Check
When considering the Phonics Screening Check and the code knowledge that needs to be learned, there can sometimes be an urgency to ‘get through’ the scope and sequence. The beauty of Sounds-Write is that the scope and sequence follow a cumulative nature, meaning you...
PSC: Mid-Year Strategies to Ensure Everyone is On Track
The PSC (Phonics Screening Check) may seem some time away yet but, at Sounds-Write, we recommend that you review what your class has been doing so far to make plans for the months ahead. Let us guide you! In this blog, we’ll explain how you can use the tools we’ve...
Mastering Phonemic Awareness: Your Key to PSC Success
The PSC (Phonics Screening Check) is as much a test of phonemic awareness skills and conceptual understanding as it is of code knowledge. This blog will explore why it is so important that these skills are practised to automaticity and what you can do to ensure that...
Phonics Screening Check – top tips for a strong start to the academic year (UK)
Whilst the timing of this blog was prompted by the start of the new academic year in the UK, the guidance will be useful to teachers using a Phonics Screening Check anywhere around the world. Welcome to the start of another new academic year! Whilst the PSC (Phonics...
Improving reading and spelling with Sounds-Write: the view from Victoria, Australia
A new era for state schools in Victoria, Australia In Victoria, Australia, the science of reading is gaining recognition as a crucial element in improving literacy outcomes for students. Phonics in particular, has been identified as a fundamental skill that forms the...
The Phonics Screening Check 2024: Our Analysis
CEO, John Walker, reflects on the history and purpose of the phonics screening check and shares his advice for educators looking to support their students going forward. Twelve years on and after much initial opposition, English schools have just run the latest...