We have a school full of phonics experts at Stanley Road Primary School
At Stanley Road Primary School in Oldham, improving early reading has been driven by a long-term commitment to developing teacher expertise. Serving a community with high levels of deprivation and a large proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language, the school introduced Sounds-Write in 2021 and trained staff from Nursery through to Year 6 over three years. Deputy Headteacher Andrew Percival explains how rigorous professional development, consistent implementation and evidence-informed teaching have created a “school full of phonics experts”. The impact has been seen not only in improving Phonics Screening Check outcomes, but also in pupils’ growing confidence, enjoyment of reading and willingness to tackle new words. Stanley Road’s experience highlights the importance of investing in people, maintaining consistency and building strong foundations for reading success across the whole school.
School: Stanley Road Primary School
Location: Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK
Pupils on roll: 460
Age range: 4-11
Pupil Premium: 40%
Special Educational Needs: 20%
English as an additional language: 86%
‘The course not only prepared our teachers to deliver the lessons with fidelity but also created a school full of phonics experts!’
Andrew Percival, Deputy Headteacher
Why did you choose Sounds-Write?
We first began hearing about Sounds-Write from school leaders on social media who were singing the praises of the approach whilst sharing some remarkable outcomes for the Y1 phonics check. We noticed that many of these leaders were working in areas of high social deprivation, like ourselves.
How did you implement Sounds-Write?
We began the process of training teaching staff from Nursery to Year 6 and committed to doing this over three years. The training was certainly more rigorous than any other phonics professional development any of us had experienced in the past.
How has Sounds-Write been received in the school?
Our teachers enjoy teaching the lessons and seeing the rapid progress that pupils make in reading. Pupils love the feeling of success that they experience because of the carefully structured way in which Sounds-Write is taught. Finally, parents tell us that they are amazed by how confident their children are at reading.
One of the strengths of Sounds-Write is how closely it aligns with current thinking about how children learn. The programme is designed to ensure opportunities for deliberate practice, to frequently review prior learning and to optimise cognitive load in order to maximise pupil learning.
What impact has Sounds-Write had on pupil learning?
At Stanley Road, we have been using Sounds-Write since 2021, and it is now firmly established across the school. We have seen outcomes in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check increasing over time, and as a direct result, we have observed pupils’ confidence and enjoyment of reading grow. Despite high levels of social deprivation and many pupils having English as an additional language, Sounds-Write has helped secure excellent results in the PSC. Results at KS2 can vary from cohort to cohort due to high transiency – for example, 50% of the 2025 Year 6 cohort joined the school after Year 2.
