Early Literacy Support (ELS): materials for teachers working in partnership with teaching assistants

These Early Literacy Support (ELS) materials have been revised to bring them into line with the objectives in the Primary Framework for Literacy, 2006 and with the recommendations of the Independent Review into the teaching of Early Reading.

ELS is aligned with the Primary National Strategy (PNS) publication Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High Quality Phonics (00282-2007BKT-EN) and it is compatible with other approaches to, and programmes for, early reading and phonics, which follow similar principles.

The ELS programme has been extended from 12 to 16 weeks, there are two additional weeks at the beginning for revision and consolidation of Letters and Sounds: Phase 2, and two additional weeks at the end to introduce Letters and Sounds: Phase 5. The programme is divided into modules to make the focus of each section clear.

The 80 literacy support sessions are designed to revisit the key literacy objectives from the Primary Framework and to reinforce the learning involved in Phases 3 and 4 as set out in Progression and Pace (03855-2006BKT-EN) and Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High Quality Phonics (00282-2007BKT-EN).

Introductory sessions provide for the revisiting of aspects of Phase 2 and the concluding sessions provide an introduction to Phase 5. The aim of ELS intervention is to ensure that by the third term of Year 1, children are working on the appropriate objectives and are able to participate fully in whole-class sessions with their peers.