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NEW FOR 2026
Friendly Phonics
An ESL Phonics programme teachers look forward to.
A complete phonics course for teaching English as an additional language. Write-in student books, 80+ decodable readers, and a digital Teacher's Guide that does the planning for you.
CORE COMPONENTS
Everything you need to teach with ease.
Every lesson is planned, resourced and sequenced across two student books per level, with a digital Teacher’s Guide to instruct you.
Digital Teacher's Guide
Research-based lessons with clear step by step instructions and lesson scripts with interactive content to bring every phonics lesson to life. Plan in minutes, not hours.
• 30 weeks of step-by-step lessons
• Audio support for every sound
• Assessment & progress tracking
Write-in Student Books
Every student gets their own write-in book with pull-out pages for activities, decodable readers and space to practise.
• Two write-in Student Books per level
• 25+ pull-out decodable readers per level
• Tricky Word practice pages
Phonics Online
Schools adopting Friendly Phonics receive one full year of Phonics Online – interactive teaching tools, a comprehensive Teacher Toolkit, and ready-to-use lesson materials for every teacher.
• 500+ videos, animations, stories and songs
• Interactive games and activities
• Works on IWB, laptop, tablet
A closer Look
Write-in Student Books with pull-out decodable readers.
FRIENDLY PHONICS LEVELS
A structured path from first sounds to confident reading.
A systematic synthetic phonics progression from meeting the Letterland characters, to reading independently.
Friendly Phonics Level 1
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Age 4+
From initial letter sounds to their first words.
Children begin their English reading journey by learning to recognise letters, connect them to their sounds, and distinguish between long and short vowels. By the end of Level 1, students can identify all letter shapes, produce their corresponding sounds, and begin blending simple words independently.
- Recognise all the a-z sounds
- Recognise and form all the Aa-Zz shapes
- Blend and segment simple CVC words
- Read 9 simple high-frequency Tricky Words
- Read simple decodable stories
Friendly Phonics Level 2
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Age 5+
From single sounds to real words.
Building on the foundations of Level 1, children develop their ability to tackle more complex words. Level 2 introduces adjacent consonants, consonant digraphs, and vowel digraphs - giving students the tools to decode a much wider range of written English with growing confidence.
- Consolidates Level 1 learning and 22 digraphs, blends, and simple suffixes
- Blend and segment CVC, CCVC and CVCC words
- Read and write a further 27 high-frequency Tricky Words
- Write words and simple sentences
- Read decodable stories
Friendly Phonics Level 3
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Age 6+
From decoding to reading for pleasure.
In Level 3, children extend their phonics knowledge to include r-controlled vowels, diphthongs, and a range of less common sound patterns. By the end of the level, students are reading fluently and independently, well equipped for the demands of primary literacy in English.
- Consolidate Level 1 and 2 learning, and 28 further digraphs and spelling patterns
- Blend and segment increasingly complex words including suffixes
- Read and write 23 further high-frequency Tricky Words
- Write an increasing number of words and sentences
- Read longer decodable stories
Frequently Asked Questions
What age group is Friendly Phonics designed for?
Friendly Phonics is designed for children aged 4–7. The programme spans three levels: Level 1 for ages 4–5, Level 2 for ages 5–6, and Level 3 for ages 6–7. Each level builds progressively on the skills taught in the previous one.
What's included in each Friendly Phonics level?
Each level includes a Digital Teacher's Guide with research-based lesson plans, a student write-in book packed with activities, and over 30 pull-out decodable readers. Schools also receive one year of free access to Phonics Online, which includes interactive teaching tools and a comprehensive Teacher Toolkit.
What are the decodable readers and how are they used?
Decodable readers are short, structured books where vocabulary is carefully controlled to only include phonics patterns the student has already been taught. Each Friendly Phonics level includes 30+ pull-out decodable readers for students to practise blending and reading independently.
How does the 1-year free Phonics Online access work?
When a school purchases Friendly Phonics, it receives one year of complimentary access to Phonics Online — a digital platform with interactive tools, audio support, and a Teacher Toolkit. Access is granted at the school level for use across classrooms.
Do teachers need special training to use Friendly Phonics?
No specialist training is required. The Digital Teacher's Guide provides clear, step-by-step lesson plans with explicit instruction that any teacher can follow. Letterland also offers optional professional training programmes for schools wanting to deepen their synthetic phonics expertise.
Can individual levels be purchased separately?
Yes. Each of the three levels can be purchased independently, making it easy to start at the right point for your students or add levels as cohorts progress.
Are sample lessons available before purchasing?
Yes. Sample lessons are available for each level so teachers and school leaders can evaluate the programme before committing to a full purchase.
See Friendly Phonics in Action
Book a free 30-minute demonstration with one of our specialists. See the programme in action and get any questions answered.
