The Sounds-Write Podcast

Episode 25: 2025 Phonics Screening Check (England) Analysis with Naomi Hinton Jun 25, 2025

In the twenty-fifth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Naomi Hinton talks about the 2025 Phonics Screening Check that has just been administered to Year 1 students in England. She gives an analysis of the words on the check and then talk about the next steps for teachers in supporting students and reflecting on their own practice.
Some helpful links:

Blog post - The Phonics Screening Check 2025: Our Analysis

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Episode 24: Phonics for Students with Diverse Needs (Symposium Preview) with Tita Beaven Jun 12, 2025

In the twenty-fourth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Tita Beaven gives us a sneak peek at just a few of the 30+ talks that will play at Phonics Interventions: A Sounds-Write Symposium.
Some helpful links:
Get your Sounds-Write Symposium ticket

https://symposium.sounds-write.co.uk/

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Episode 23: Leading Up to the Phonics Screening Check (England) with Laila Sadler May 19, 2025

In the twenty-third episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Laila Sadler talks about the Phonics Screening Check and what educators can do to maximise the weeks leading up to the Check.
Some helpful links:
The Sounds-Write Membership

Episode 8: Literacy Interventions with Jacinda Vaughan

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Episode 22: Pathways to Speech-to-Print Instruction with Speech-Language Pathologist Miriam Fein and Educational Therapist Sherry Cramer Jun 12, 2024

In the twenty-second episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Miriam Fein and Sherry Cramer discuss their roles and experience, the partnerships between parents and different education professionals in a struggling reader's life and talk about speech-to-print and how it's affected their practice.
Some helpful links:
AET website
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Episode 21: Phonics Interventions for High School Success with Ilona Sydney-Jones May 10, 2024

In the twenty-first episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Ilona Sydney-Jones discusses the ins and outs of using Sounds-Write with high school students, the importance of supporting older learners with literacy and the specific adaptations she makes when using Sounds-Write with these learners. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
SPELDSA
Train with SPELDSA
Base Camp article by John Walker
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Episode 20: Polysyllabic Words with Caroline Hardisty Apr 12, 2024

In the twentieth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Caroline Hardisty is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for teaching polysyllabic words. Caroline discusses the rationale behind why we introduce polysyllabic words from simple to complex and in an explicit way, how to syllabify words, and how to implement differentiation techniques with polysyllabic word lessons. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
The Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal
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Episode 19: Advice for Phonics Leads with Donna Smith Feb 08, 2024

In the nineteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Donna Smith is back to give plenty of helpful and practical advice for Phonics Leads. This episode comes in celebration of the recent release of our Phonics Lead Handbook, a brilliant (and free!) resource that will be any Phonics Lead's guide to all things Sounds-Write. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Access the Phonics Lead Handbook and many more useful documents
Alex saying the sounds Sounds-Write Initial Code
Episode 3: Phonics With Fidelity with Naomi Hinton
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Episode 18: Phonics in Small, Rural Schools with Helen Hampton Jan 06, 2024

In the eighteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Helen Hampton talks about implementing Sounds-Write in small, rural schools. She discusses how to get started with Sounds-Write in this setting, how to maximise your resources and how to teach phonics to mixed-age classes. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Sounds-Write's Free Resources
Sounds-Write's Australian Shop
Train with Helen
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Episode 17: Language Development with Alex Bedford and Julie Sherrington Dec 06, 2023

In the seventeenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Alex Bedford and Julie Sherrington talk about their recently released book 'EYFS: Language of Learning'. Alex and Julie are both experienced and passionate educators. They discuss the importance of language development, the impact of the pandemic on children's language and how to put their brilliant handbook into practice. Enjoy!
"This book will be the go-to resource for practitioners who want a clear, user-friendly way to develop children's language in the EYFS setting. Inspired by Joan Tough's language development framework, it offers educators a way to understand, plan and sequence high-quality conversations to help develop shared thinking, communication and language. We love the clarity of the writing and the illustrations, and the worked examples bring the approach to life. We can't wait to go into schools that use this approach and see the children thrive!" ― John Walker and Tita Beaven, Sounds-Write

Some helpful links:
EYFS: Language of Learning – a handbook to provoke, provide and evaluate language development
Alex's upcoming events and workshops
The Reading Together Collection
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3: Nuggets of Language Nerdiness Nov 26, 2023

Welcome to episode 3 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! Do you know the difference between a language, a pidgin and a creole? What would a writing system look like if it could convey tone of voice and stress? What are false cognates? Join us as we explore these questions and more in this episode. Enjoy!
Some helpful links and sources:
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What is a language
What’s The Difference Between A Pidgin And A Creole?
Pidgin's etymology
History of Jamaican Patwa
Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music
How Deaf Children in Nicaragua Created a New Language
Pidgins and Creoles
BBC News Pidgin
Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg
False cognates

Episode 16: Grow Your Phonics Tutoring Business with Kirsty Gibbs Nov 06, 2023

In the sixteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Kirsty Gibbs talks about all things business. Kirsty is an experienced businesswoman in the tutoring industry. In this episode, she lays out her top tips for growing a thriving tutoring business. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Kirsty's podcast episode with Jacinda and Alison
Kirsty's podcast
Kirsty's website
Kirsty's free resources
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2: Nuggets of Language Nerdiness Oct 23, 2023

Welcome to episode 2 of Nuggets of Language Nerdiness by The Sounds-Write Podcast! What can we find out about towns and cities based on their suffixes and etymology? Why are some words spelt differently in US-English? And what's the difference between homonyms and polysemous words? Enjoy!
Some helpful links and sources:
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Latin influence on English
The Origins of English Place Names
Etymology of ‘castle’
Place names stemming from ‘castrum’
More on place names
‘Mutha’
Wolverhampton etymology
Broome etymology
Brisbane etymology
More about Webster’s ideas in his political context
Webster’s changes to spelling
How is polysemy different from homonymy?
More on polysemy
Polysemy Versus Homonymy
More on Polysemy Versus Homonymy
Etymology of ‘dish’
Etymology of ‘bat’
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4

Episode 15: Q&A on Interventions with Jacinda Vaughan Oct 06, 2023

In the fifteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Jacinda Vaughan is back and answering listeners' questions about teaching phonics in intervention settings. She covers a range of topics including making adaptations for English Language Learners, correcting articulation, accent variation and much more. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Jacinda's first podcast appearance
Shop the Reading Together Collection in Australia
Shop the Reading Together Collection in the UK
Shop the Reading Together Collection in the US
EEF Teaching Assistant Interventions
Charlotte Wigham
Alternative Pencils
Ann Sullivan's book 'Access to Phonics'
Phonics for SEN
Alison Perry's video on b d confusion
Sounds-Write Symposium 2023 access
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1: Nuggets of Language Nerdiness Sep 23, 2023

Welcome to this bonus mini-episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast! In this short episode, the host shared three nuggets of language nerdiness. Why do we sometimes spell the sound /r/ as < wr >? What do the words punch, shampoo and bungalow all have in common? And what are contronyms? Enjoy!
Some helpful links and sources:
Root word 'wer'
Examples of the < wr > spelling of /r/
Punch's etymology
Shampoo's etymology
Bungalow's etymology
More about contronyms
Some examples of contronyms
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Episode 14: SENsational Phonics with Kelly Cross Sep 06, 2023

In the fourteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast Kelly Cross talks about her son, Freddie's, journey to becoming a proficient reader and speller. Freddie has Moderate Learning Difficulties and Kelly struggled to find the help that he needed to learn to read and write. Since finding Sounds-Write, Freddie has gone on to become the avid reader his parents always knew he could be. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Help Your Child to Read and Write course
Sounds-Write's Facebook
Sounds-Write's Instagram
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Episode 13: Cultivating a Love of Reading with Gemma Pierson Aug 06, 2023

In the thirteenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast we hear from Gemma Pierson, headteacher at Princecroft Primary School in Warminster, UK. Gemma discusses the literacy strategy that Princecroft have implemented across the school and talks about how her team cultivate a love of reading amongst their student. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Princecroft Primary School's website
Gemma's Twitter
Princecroft's Sounds-Write Success Story
Talk for Writing
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Episode 12: Phonics for Parents and Carers with Donna Smith Jul 06, 2023

In the twelfth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast Donna Smith, one of Sounds-Write's In-House Trainers, gives advice and guidance for parents and carers of children who are being taught phonics. She gives an overview of what Sounds-Write is and how best to support students who are learning to read and spell. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Help Your Child to Read and Write course
Bruce Robertson's book
St. Thomas Aquinas Primary School directory of sounds
The weekly spelling list blog post
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Episode 11: The Future of Phonics in the US with Jill Nunez Jun 06, 2023

In the eleventh episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's Business Manager for the US and Canada, Jill Nunez, talks about the future of phonics in the US. She discusses the spread of phonics in North America, some of the challenges we’re facing as we expand to the US, and how to advocate for an evidence based literacy programme in your school. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Sold a Story Podcast
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Episode 10: Speech to Print with Nora Chahbazi and John Walker May 06, 2023

In the tenth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast two of the most prominent champions of speech to print phonics, Nora Chahbazi and John Walker, discuss their strikingly similar backgrounds in the world of phonics, the similarities and difference between their approaches and, of course, speech to print. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Sounds-Write Symposium on Speech to Print
EBLI's website
Episode 9 of The Sounds-Write Podcast on phonics research
Find out more about Sounds-Write
Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal!
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Episode 9: Learning from Phonics Research with Anna Comas-Quinn Apr 06, 2023

In the ninth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's Head of Research and Development, Dr. Anna Comas-Quinn, talks about the trials and tribulations of conducting research in the field of phonics. She talks through some of the research that Sounds-Write has conducted, what we can learn from that and why context is essential when evaluating schools' results. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Condensed version of our longitudinal study
Systematic synthetic phonics: case studies from Sounds-Write practitioners
Sounds-Write’s Success Stories
Learning to read is vital: here’s why
Episode 8: Literacy Intervention with Jacinda Vaughan
Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal!
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Episode 8: Literacy Interventions with Jacinda Vaughan Mar 06, 2023

In the eight episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Sounds-Write's newest in-house trainer, Jacinda Vaughan, talks about literacy interventions. She discusses the difference between 'keep up' and 'catch-up' interventions and gives some really practical guidance for setting up intervention sessions for struggling readers. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal!
Sounds-Write's Facebook
Sounds-Write's Instagram
Sign up to our mailing list
Free Initial Code e-books
Free Extended Code e-books
Free course for parents and carers

Episode 7: 20 years of Sounds-Write with John Walker Feb 07, 2023

In the seventh episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, John Walker talks about the past 20 years of Sounds-Write. He discusses some of the highs and lows and talks about the future of Sounds-Write. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Pre-register for the Sounds-Write Practitioners' Portal!
Sounds-Write's Facebook
Sounds-Write's Instagram
Sign up to our mailing list
What is Sounds-Write podcast episode
Pamela Snow and Tanya Terry's op-ed
Pamela Snow's blog
The Teaching Delusion book series

Episode 6: Advice for New Practitioners with Caroline Hardisty Jan 08, 2023

In the sixth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, trainer Caroline Hardisty gives advice for schools who are new to Sounds-Write. She gives tips for practitioners who are just starting out, and discusses some of the considerations when implementing Sounds-Write as a whole-school approach. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Sounds-Write's Facebook
Sounds-Write's Instagram
Sign up to our mailing list
Learn more about teaching Sounds-Write with fidelity
Learn more about Sounds-Write

Episode 5: Speech Pathology with Alison Perry Dec 16, 2022

In the fifth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Alison Perry and John Walker discuss all-things speech pathology. Alison talks about the intersection of her work as a speech therapist and as a Sounds-Write trainers. She talks about her passion for teaching and the joy of teaching children to read. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Alison's website
John's Twitter
John's blog
Learn more about Sounds-Write

Episode 4: Sound to Print with John Walker Nov 06, 2022

In the fourth episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, John Walker discusses the sound to print approach to teaching reading and writing. He talks about the rationale behind using this orientation, how this approach differs to print to sound methods and the results we’ve seen from schools using the sound to print approach. Listen to the end of the episode for an exciting sneak peak into one of our upcoming projects. Enjoy!
Some helpful links:
Our case studies book
John's Twitter
John's blog
Learn more about Sounds-Write

Episode 3: Phonics With Fidelity with Naomi Hinton Oct 15, 2022

In the third episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, Head of Training Naomi Hinton explains why teaching phonics with fidelity is important and how practitioners can ensure that they put this into practice. Naomi talks about differentiation, scripts, monitoring, interleaving and much more. Thanks for listening!
Some helpful links:
The DfE Reading Framework
Our free courses for parents and carers
John's blog post on teaching phonics whole class
Follow Naomi on Twitter

Episode 2: What is Sounds-Write? with John Walker Sep 06, 2022

In the second episode of The Sounds-Write Podcast, John Walker answers the question 'what is Sounds-Write?' He deep-dives into the theoretical underpinnings of the approach and discusses what differentiates Sounds-Write from other phonics schemes. We hope that this is helpful both to those of you who are new to Sounds-Write and also to practitioners who wish to refresh their understanding of the programme's core principles.
Some helpful links:
John teaching word building
The Sounds-Write showcase

Episode 1: Decodable Readers with John Walker Jul 28, 2022

In this very first episode of the Sounds-Write podcast, we hear John Walker answer questions about decodable readers. How should you begin using decodables? What are they for? How can you phase out the use of decodables? Hear answers to all this and more! Thank you for listening and see you next time.
Some links mentioned in this episode:
Our Initial Code free e-books
Our Extended Code free e-books
Our free courses for parents and carers
The Reading Ape's blog post 'The eyes have it'
More Sounds-Write links

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