Andrew Percival, Deputy Headteacher at Stanley Road Primary, shared the impressive results achieved in an area of high social deprivation since the introduction of Sounds-Write.

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.

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

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. 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.