Primary Teachers

Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS)

DfE validated, essential phonics programme for getting all children to read well, quickly

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Everything you need to teach phonics

Daily whiteboard presentations

Decodable books

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Show all resources in Essential Letters and Sounds

About Essential Letters and Sounds

Developed for teachers by teachers from Knowledge Schools Trust, ELS follows the 2007 Letters and Sounds progression and uses a daily, structured approach to teaching phonics that gives children and teachers consistency and security.

Why use ELS?

Because ELS follows the Letters and Sounds 2007 progression, it works with the decodable books you may already have. If you would like to expand your provision, we have a wide range of decodables that follow the ELS Progression available.

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Between February and March 2023, OUP undertook an impact study to gain an in-depth understanding of the extent to which, and how, ELS enables teachers to deliver consistent and structured phonics teaching. 99% of respondents reported that ELS has supported them at least to ‘some extent’, with 92% of respondents reporting that ELS has supported them to a ‘moderate’ extent.

Learn more about our this study on our Impact Hub.

Teacher training is delivered both online and face-to-face through Dodson Press Consultancy. Evolve Days offer in-school training that is tailored to the needs of your individual school, and support you to make the most of the scheme.

A 2023 Teach Primary Awards finalist in the ‘SEND’ category, interventions are available to ensure that any learning gaps are quickly filled, with support for children who encounter difficulties throughout the lesson. Tailored resources are available within the ELS online subscription to support the needs of SEND learners.

You can find out more here.