Welcome to this week’s edition of the Monster Mash, and thank you for taking a few minutes to read it.
We have a Monster Phonics school in Japan, Tsukuba International School, full of wonderful teachers and, from our window in, a great school community. So, the theme of this week’s edition is borrowed from Japan:
Kaizen (改善) – small, ongoing improvements over time.
We are sure this is something that will resonate in schools. Not constant change for the sake of it, but listening, refining, and building on what already works well. In that spirit, here are a few things we have been working on at Monster Phonics.
With the Phonics Screening Check approaching in parts of the UK, and in some international schools, we have added a couple of useful resources.
In the Resource Hub, you will find a parent poster under:
Key Documents → Parents
It gives a clear and reassuring overview of the check, what children will do, and why it matters.
We have also added the 2025 Phonics Screening Check to the online tracker, alongside all previous papers from 2013 onwards.
We hope these are helpful in the run up to the check.
We have been working closely with early years settings over time, building on what is already strong and refining it through classroom feedback. Here is a short video to give you a sneak peek of what is coming:
We are planning to go live with the full programme in April or May 2026. We are quietly confident you will really enjoy it.
This is often the time of year when schools are either using remaining budget or beginning to plan ahead for September.
Many of you have been exploring book collections, particularly bundles, which continue to be popular and offer strong value per book.
When you visit the shop, you will see two pathways:
Classic – the original Monster Phonics, with Tricky Witch and the Silent Ghosts
Universal – a visual adaptation with Tricky and the Silent Monsters, designed so every school can feel fully at home
The teaching and progression remain exactly the same. The difference is purely visual.
We have made sure stock is ready to go during this busy period. Do test us. We are always happy to help, whether in the UK or internationally.
If you would simply like to take a look, schools can explore collections here:
Audio is now available in the first stages of our non-fiction eBooks. It has been in place for fiction titles for some time and, following feedback, we have begun to add to all non-fiction books.
A small addition, but one that many schools have told us makes a real difference.
We know we say it a lot, but it is worth saying again. The work you do to help children become readers really does matter.
Whether you are heading into a break, in the middle of one, or just coming out of it, we hope there is a moment somewhere to pause and recharge.
The Monster Phonics Team