Reading and writing do not begin with letters on a page. They begin with a baby gazing at a face, a toddler finishing the last word of a favourite rhyme and a two-year-old chatting about what they can see from the buggy. This early literacy phonics course shows your team how to build the foundations of reading and writing in the early years through talk, sound play, stories and mark making, and how to grow children who want to read.
Why early literacy matters in the early years
The strongest predictor of a confident reader is not early letter knowledge. It is a deep well of spoken language and a genuine enjoyment of books. Children cannot read words they have never heard, and a child who cannot yet hear the difference between sounds will struggle with phonics however many letters they are shown. Sound first, symbol later.
In the EYFS, communication and language is a prime area and literacy is a specific area, and that ordering is deliberate: talk comes before text. The course is also clear about what nursery phonics is not. There is no expectation in the EYFS that children learn letter-sound correspondences before reception, so the early years job is the oral, play-based Phase One stage that makes later phonics teaching quick and joyful.
What’s in the course
- How early literacy develops from birthServe and return, what literacy looks like at each stage, and why the adult makes the difference.
- Listening, rhyme and phonological awarenessEnvironmental sounds, rhythm, rhyme and alliteration, and oral blending, threaded through the day.
- Phase One phonics in the early yearsWhere Phase One fits, its seven aspects, what it is not, and how to make it work day to day.
- Sharing stories, songs and rhymes effectivelyDialogic reading, a core rhyme repertoire, and the practicalities that make or break story time.
- Creating a language-rich and print-rich environmentCutting background noise, print that does a real job, and books and mark making across the provision.
- Early mark making and emergent writingWhy writing starts in the body, the stages of mark making, and how adults help or hinder.
- Assessment10 questions. Pass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
What you’ll learn
- How serve-and-return exchanges from birth build the turn-taking and relationships that literacy grows from
- Why waiting several seconds after you speak gives young children time to process and reply
- The seven aspects of Phase One, from environmental sounds and body percussion to oral blending and segmenting
- Why flashcards, letter drills and formal letter teaching do not belong in nursery phonics
- How to use prompt, follow and expand to turn a picture book into a conversation
- How to test every piece of print in your room by asking whether anyone ever reads it
- Why writing develops from the shoulder outwards, and why forcing a tripod grip on unready hands backfires
- The five stages of mark making, and why a child giving meaning to a mark is a milestone worth celebrating
Who this course is for
- Practitioners in every room, from babies to pre-school
- Room leaders planning group times, story times and continuous provision
- Managers who want to explain their approach to phonics confidently to parents
- Staff preparing children for the move to reception
How it works
- OnlineStudy on any device and pick up where you left off.
- 6 short lessonsAbout 45 minutes in total.
- 10-question assessmentPass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
- CertificateIssued when you pass. NFAQ accredited.
Training your team
A core rhyme repertoire only works if every member of staff knows it, and sound play happens best when every adult looks for the moment, so consider training the whole team. Choose the number of learners at checkout, with group rates from 3 learners, or get it as part of the Training Portal for £5 per learner per month. Related courses: Child Communication Development (Level 2) and Creative Storytelling.
Frequently asked questions
Should nurseries teach letter sounds?
Not systematically. The course explains that there is no expectation in the EYFS that children learn letter-sound correspondences before reception. Nursery phonics is oral and play-based, though you should always follow a child’s spontaneous interest in letters, such as the first letter of their name.
What is Phase One phonics?
The oral, pre-letter stage of phonics. The term comes from the legacy Letters and Sounds framework and is still the common language of early years practice. It covers seven aspects of listening and sound play, ending with oral blending and segmenting.
Is it all right to read the same book again and again?
Yes. Repetition is how children consolidate language, and each reading lets them dig deeper. When a child asks for the same story for the fourteenth time, say yes.
Should we correct reversed letters and spelling?
No. At three and four, reversed letters and invented spellings are healthy developmental steps. Respond to the meaning of a child’s writing rather than its accuracy.
What happens if I don’t pass the assessment?
You can resit it as many times as you need until you pass. Your certificate is issued as soon as you reach the 80% pass mark.
What if a child cannot hear rhyme?
A child who persistently cannot hear rhyme or tell sounds apart may have an underlying hearing or speech difficulty. Share your observations with your SENCO and the family promptly rather than repeating the same games and hoping.
