Northern Ireland schools are moving towards systematic synthetic phonics through Strong Foundations, and new assessments will follow. Many teachers have not been trained in this way of teaching before, so it is natural to have questions. This page sets out what your school needs to know, the steps that will make the biggest difference this year and how we can support you, whichever programme you use today. Please share it with colleagues, governors and neighbouring schools.
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The Department of Education’s literacy framework, Strong Foundations, recommends that every school adopts a systematic phonics programme in the Foundation Stage. It does not tell schools which programme to use, but it does ask them to look at the evidence for synthetic phonics. In the classroom it comes down to five things.
The Department of Education website remains the authoritative source. Download our short guide for schools to print for the staffroom or share with colleagues and governors.
A child moving from P1 to P2 picks up exactly where they left off, and everyone who teaches phonics is trained in it.
Children learn to sound out and blend words rather than guess from pictures, context or the first letter. The Department withdrew its guidance on three-cueing in March 2025.
Every book a child reads in school or at home gives practice in what they have just been taught.
Children who are not yet secure keep receiving phonics teaching beyond P2.
Spelling builds on phonics in a planned sequence right through primary school.
None of this means starting from scratch. Settling your phonics now means you are ready for each change as it comes, and many schools are closer than they think. We will update this page as each step is published.
Last reviewed 12 October 2026.
Strong Foundations was launched in December 2025, with supporting guidelines in January 2026. It is now the expected practice in every school.
The statutory assessment framework published in April 2026 introduces a baseline check in P1 and a phonics check in P2. CCEA is developing them, and they will come in when schools are ready. Results will not be published school by school or used for league tables, and there will be dedicated assessments for Irish-medium schools.
The consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 closed on 30 September 2026, and the final version is awaited. The Department is also developing a new literacy strategy informed by Strong Foundations.
The draft curriculum gives systematic synthetic phonics a stronger place in the Foundation Stage and continues a phonics sequence into P3 and P4. It will be phased in over three years.
Reading fluency checks will run from P3 to P5, starting with P4 in March 2030.
Until the statutory checks arrive, your own assessment is the only thing that tells you which children are secure and which need help. Our digital assessment tracker shows exactly where each child is, so you are prepared for the new assessments rather than surprised by them.
You can try the baseline assessment and the tracker with your own P1 and P2 classes during your eight weeks of free access.
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You do not need to wait for any announcement. These steps follow directly from Strong Foundations, and most can start this term.
If some of these feel like a big step, you are not alone. Many schools across Northern Ireland are working through the same questions this term, and we are always happy to talk them through with you.
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Many teachers here have not been trained in this way of teaching before. Schools need a partner who has done this well, who makes it easy for their teams and who keeps children loving reading along the way.
At Monster Phonics we are all educators, and we will support you through every step. Our training is included in your membership, so your whole team gains the confidence and consistency they need while building on the good practice you already have. Every lesson, video and resource is ready to use, our digital tracker shows where every child is, and children love learning with our monsters. Together we can make a real difference to reading in your school.
A growing family of schools across Northern Ireland has already adopted Monster Phonics. They are great advocates, and you can learn from what they have done.
“The live Monster Phonics event in Belfast was incredibly informative and well worth attending. It offered clear, practical insights into how the programme supports early literacy in an engaging and effective way.”
Vice Principal, primary school, Belfast
“Thank you so so much for the resources we are very grateful. … Without your support this year we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
Phonics and Literacy Lead, primary school, Belfast
We are educators, and we have helped schools make this change successfully across the UK and internationally. Monster Phonics is validated by England’s Department for Education, and in Wales, Cardiff Education Service chose Monster Phonics for every primary school in the city. Everything your team needs, from Nursery to P7, comes in one membership.
Lesson planning, animations, videos, decodable books and every resource you need are ready to use, so teachers do not need to create anything. Every adult teaches the same sounds in the same order, which is what Strong Foundations means by teaching with fidelity. Our 300+ decodable books follow the same sequence in school and at home.
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Good phonics teaching starts before P1. Our Nursery programme for children aged 2 to 4 builds listening, vocabulary and sound awareness through stories, songs and the monster characters, so children start P1 calm and confident.
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Phonics should never be dry. Our colour coding makes tricky graphemes visible, and our monster characters help every learner remember them, including children with special educational needs and those learning English. Children enjoy it, so teachers enjoy teaching it, and an intervention for every learning objective means any child can catch up the same day.
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Training is included in your membership for your whole team, and it is ongoing. We demystify systematic synthetic phonics, build on what you already do well and give you the fidelity and consistency you need. New staff and classroom assistants can be trained as soon as they join.
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Families are partners in learning to read. We run free online sessions for parents, and children can read the same matched books at home on our eBook platform.
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Our Schools Success team are experienced primary teachers and literacy leaders. They are happy to talk through Strong Foundations, the new assessments or your phonics provision, whichever programme you use today. They can also set up eight weeks of free access for your whole school.
Email Our TeamIn a year-long independent study, ten Welsh primary schools moved to Monster Phonics, with around 700 children assessed at the start and end of the year. Every school had taught phonics before, and every school reported a significant improvement in phonics standards. Many staff said it was the first time they had been trained in how to teach phonics.
Wales has its own curriculum and its own policy, so these results do not apply to Northern Ireland automatically. The study does look at the same things Strong Foundations asks schools to think about, which are consistent teaching, training for every adult, assessment and children’s engagement.
This report explores the implementation of a Department for Education (England) validated systematic synthetic phonics programme, Monster Phonics, in ten schools across Wales. The study examines the impact on phonics standards, engagement from staff, pupils, and parents, and the effectiveness of training and resources. All participating schools reported significant improvements in phonics outcomes, increased pupil enthusiasm, and greater consistency in phonics instruction.
These comments come from schools in Wales that use Monster Phonics.
Join this year and receive a books and resources voucher with your membership.
One membership covers Nursery, the School Programme and Superhero Spelling for your whole school, from age 2 to P7. It comes with a £500 books and resources voucher and all of the benefits below.
Buy our Phonics Programme and our Nursery Programme for everything you need to develop confident readers, starting from phonemic awareness, speaking and listening to phonics knowledge and skills, taking your children to fluency.
It comes with a £250 books and resources voucher and all of the benefits below.
Any primary school in Northern Ireland can use the whole Monster Phonics programme free for eight weeks. Assess your P1 and P2 children with our baseline assessment and see exactly where each child is, then start teaching daily phonics lessons, read matched books together and train your team. We will also have a short online call with you to talk through your results.
We would love to hear from you, whichever programme you use today.
No school is required to change. The Department recommends a systematic programme in the Foundation Stage and does not prescribe which one. Schools whose current approach is systematic, consistent across classes and supported by matched books and regular assessment are already in line with the framework.
No. The Department has said results will not be published school by school or used to create league tables.
No. Most schools already have good practice to build on. The framework asks for a systematic programme taught consistently, with matched books and regular assessment, and it asks schools to be aware of the evidence for synthetic phonics. Our training builds on what your team already does well, and you can try Monster Phonics alongside what you do now.
Yes. Any primary school in Northern Ireland can use the whole Monster Phonics programme free for eight weeks. Email [email protected] and we will set it up for your whole school. It includes all resources and training for ages 2 to 11, the baseline assessment for P1 and P2 and a short online call to talk through your results, with no commitment. If you would like a quick look first, a 7-day free trial lets you see the planning and resources straight away.
Yes. Lifetime training for your whole team, including classroom assistants and new staff, is included in your membership. It covers Phonics Fundamentals, Core Team Training and specialist pathways for SEN leads, reading leaders and senior leaders, with live sessions and on-demand training.
Yes, Monster Phonics is easy to introduce at any point in the school year. Our Teaching Manual includes the Monster Phonics Progression Map, which shows the order of teaching and where to start. The consistent planning makes it easy to put in place and start improving results straight away.
The draft English and Drama framework makes systematic synthetic phonics a Foundation Stage priority, and leaves the distribution of word reading content across P1 and P2 to the programme a school adopts. Monster Phonics gives every class that sequence in P1 and P2 and continues it into P3, and Superhero Spelling teaches spelling systematically through to P7. When the final curriculum is published, we will review it closely and update our guidance for schools.
Yes. Our spelling and vocabulary programme, Superhero Spelling, provides lessons for P4 to P7 and teaches spelling systematically, as Strong Foundations asks. We also have intervention comics for older children who need an extra boost with core phonics skills.
Yes, we do. Our Foundations in Phonics Nursery programme is designed for children aged 2 to 4. It builds listening, talk, vocabulary and sound awareness through stories, songs, movement and play, and includes year-round activities, downloadable resources, books with actions and assessment records.
No problem, we are happy to help. Contact [email protected]
