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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.
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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.
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Student Books

2 write-in books per level with over 250 phonics activities to practise letter sounds, letter shapes, blending, segmenting, tricky words and decodable text. Perforated pages make it easy to take activities home.
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Digital Teacher's Guide

Step-by-step lessons that help you deliver a phonics lesson with confidence. Lessons include guidance on how to teach phonics to multilingual learners.
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Decodable Readers

Over 25 decodable readers per level are embedded into the Student Books, each one matched to the letter sounds children have been taught. Perforated pages make it easy to pull, fold and read.
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Free Digital Access*

Access to audio tracks for pronunciation support, interactive teaching tools for the classroom and a digital Teacher's Guide with explicit lessons, all in our web-based app, Phonics Online.
FRIENDLY PHONICS LEVELS
A structured path from first sounds to confident reading.
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Age 4+

Friendly Phonics Level 1

Children begin their phonics journey by connecting the letter sounds (phonemes) and letter shapes (graphemes) with the help of the Letterland characters. By the end of Level 1 children can:
  • Identify aA-zZ sounds and shapes
  • Identify and use 4 double consonant digraphs and 2 further digraphs
  • Blend and segment CVC words e.g. sit, cap, fan
  • Read 10 high-frequency or Tricky Words e.g. the, has, you
  • Read simple decodable stories
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Age 5+

Friendly Phonics Level 2

As children learn more letter sounds and cumulatively review them, they will be able to decode more complex words. By the end of Level 2 children can:
  • Identify Level 1 sounds, 22 digraphs, blends and simple suffixes
  • Blend and segment CCVC and CVCC words e.g. chin, ring, bird
  • Read and write a further 27 high-frequency Tricky Words
  • Write words and simple sentences
  • Read decodable stories with growing confidence
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Age 6+

Friendly Phonics Level 3

In Level 3, children extend their phonics knowledge and learn some less common spelling 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
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Frequently Asked Questions

What age group is Friendly Phonics designed for?

Friendly Phonics is designed for children aged 4+. The programme spans three levels: Level 1 for ages 4+, Level 2 for ages 5+, and Level 3 for ages 6+. 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 write-in Student Book packed with activities, and 25+ pull-out decodable readers. There is also access to audio tracks for pronunciation support, interactive teaching tools - all in our web-based app, Phonics Online.

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, as well as previously introduced Tricky Words. Each Friendly Phonics level includes 25+ pull-out decodable readers for students to practise blending and reading independently.
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.

Does Friendly Phonics support the US/UK curriculum standards?
Yes. The Friendly Phonics scope and sequence aligns with the UK teaching order, making it compatible with many other reading schemes. The methodology is fully aligned with the evidence-based Science of Reading framework for early literacy. Systematic synthetic phonics programmes are endorsed by English language governing frameworks (like Cambridge ELT) as highly effective for ESL/EFL learners. 

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.
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*Offer subject to change; minimum order quantities may apply. Free access may be subject to change.