“A Profound and Measurable Impact on Early Reading Outcomes Across Our School”: High Legh’s Ready Steady Literacy Journey

How Ready Steady Phonics and Ready Steady Spell have transformed outcomes 

High Legh Primary School, based in Cheshire, is a one-form entry school with high aspirations for all children. The school made the strategic decision to implement all three Ready Steady programmes—Ready Steady Write, Ready Steady Phonics and Ready Steady Spell—at the same time. With strong foundations now firmly in place, their approach to literacy has gone from strength to strength, leading to significant improvements in both reading and spelling outcomes across the school. 

We had the pleasure of speaking with J. Price, the Deputy Head Teacher, to find out more about the difference the Read Steady Literacy programmes have made in their setting. 

Let’s Talk Ready Steady Phonics 

What impact have you seen on early reading outcomes since introducing Ready Steady Phonics? 

“The introduction of Ready Steady Phonics has had a profound and measurable impact on early reading outcomes across our school. We have seen a consistent upward trajectory in our Year 1 Phonics Screening Check results, with a 10% increase year-on-year: 

 2023: 62% 

 2024: 72% 

 2025: 100% 

This significant progress is a direct result of the programme’s structured, systematic approach to phonics teaching. Children are more confident, fluent readers at an earlier stage, and our lowest 20% of readers are receiving more targeted support, enabling greater equity in outcomes. Teachers report that children are transferring their phonics knowledge into their reading and writing with greater ease and accuracy. There is also a visible improvement in pupil engagement and reading resilience during independent activities and across the wider curriculum. We are now looking forward to implementing the newly introduced fluency strand of the programme, which will further support pupils in developing reading confidence, prosody, and automaticity as they move beyond early decoding.” 

How has the programme supported consistency in phonics teaching across EYFS and KS1? 

“Ready Steady Phonics has been instrumental in embedding a consistent approach across all classes and phases. It provides a clear progression of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), common exception words and reading skills, which ensures continuity and cohesion from EYFS through to Year 2. All staff, including teaching assistants, are trained in the same methods and routines, which means that interventions and in-class support mirror whole-class teaching. 

Moreover, the visuals, vocabulary and routines (such as daily review, new learning and application) are repeated consistently, giving children a secure framework within which to build their phonics knowledge. Observations show that children use the same language of learning, regardless of the adult or class and this has supported smooth transitions between year groups and stronger outcomes in end-of-phase assessments.” 

What feedback have you received from staff regarding planning, delivery and workload? 

“Staff feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The comprehensive lesson plans, accompanying resources and video content have dramatically reduced planning time and cognitive load, particularly for support staff. The clarity of the structure means that everyone knows what to teach, when and how, enabling a focus on pupil progress rather than resource creation. 

 Teachers have commented on the improved pace and flow of phonics lessons, with more time available for assessment and responsive teaching. Support staff also report feeling more confident in delivering phonics interventions due to the simplicity and clarity of the format. The consistent language, routines and high-quality materials have contributed to improved teaching quality and greater professional confidence.” 

Are you able to share any phonics data or screening results? 

“Yes, we are proud to share our data, which shows a clear and sustained improvement since adopting Ready Steady Phonics: 

 2023: 62%    2024: 72%   2025: 100% 

These figures represent a transformational improvement and reflect not only strong phonics provision but also improved outcomes for previously underperforming groups, including disadvantaged pupils and boys. Internal assessment data supports this trend, with more children reaching age-related expectations in termly tracking points and fewer pupils needing phonics catch-up beyond Year 2.” 

Have the QR codes supported families to engage with decodable texts at home? 

“The QR codes have offered a cost-effective solution for accessing decodable texts. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, we have been unable to invest in a full set of physical decodable readers to accompany the programme. While we continue to make the best use of available digital resources, this has highlighted a wider challenge around accessibility and equity of provision. Moving forward, we are exploring ways to supplement the digital offer with a rotating set of printed decodable texts to better meet the needs of our families.” 

Moving onto the impact of Ready Steady Spell 

What impact have you seen on early reading outcomes since introducing Ready Steady Spell? 

“Since implementing Ready Steady Spell, we have observed a marked improvement in children’s spelling accuracy, fluency and confidence. The structured and engaging approach—especially the use of rhymes and list patterns—has supported pupils in developing more consistent spelling habits across Y2 to Y6. This has contributed to better early reading outcomes, as spelling no longer acts as a barrier to fluency.” 

How has the programme supported consistency in spelling teaching across Y2–Y6? 

“The consistent structure of each lesson, with built-in consolidation and progression, has made teaching spelling more systematic across year groups. The familiar format helps children know what to expect and allows staff to focus more on delivery rather than planning. It also ensures continuity and progression in learning as pupils move through the school.” 

What feedback have you received from staff regarding planning, delivery, and workload? 

“Staff have been overwhelmingly positive about the programme. They appreciate the reduced planning workload and the logical sequence of lessons. The programme’s design supports smooth transitions between weeks, and teachers particularly value the consolidation element. 

Children absolutely love the sessions—the catchy rhymes, the satisfying routine and the fast-paced challenges such as ‘how many in 20 seconds?’ all keep them motivated and excited to improve. There is a real sense of pride when they master a tricky spelling and they enjoy testing themselves week on week. The variety of activities taps into different learning styles and the classroom buzz during spelling sessions shows how much the pupils genuinely look forward to them.” 

Are you able to share any spelling data or screening results? 

“We have tracked progress through internal spelling assessments. For example, in Year 6, 65% of pupils achieved 80% or more in their spelling assessments by Autumn 2. This increased to 78% by Spring 2, showing measurable impact and clear progression.” 

We would like to thank High Legh Primary School and Deputy Head Teacher J. Price for taking the time to speak with us and for so generously sharing their experiences. It is a privilege to celebrate their success and the incredible progress they have made in reading and spelling. 

Inspired by High Legh’s journey? 

If your school is looking to improve reading and spelling outcomes through structured, research-driven approaches, we would love to support you. 

Find out more about Ready Steady Phonics 

Explore Ready Steady Spell 

Book a free 1:1 meeting with one of our expert consultants to discuss your school’s needs and how our programmes can help. 

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