Devon teacher launches free app to aid reading

A primary school teacher from Devon has today launched an app 'Fonics' designed to help 3-6 year olds learn how to read more effectively. The app is free and is available to download now across all major app stores.

Sophie Cooper “Learning to read is the most important skill we teach children when they first start school, it is a skill they will use every day for the rest of their lives. Those who get left behind will find themselves at a constant disadvantage.”

Fonics is a new type of educational resource that can be used by 3-6 year olds both at school and at home to help them learn to read. It works by using 'gamification', a term used to describe the use of games in teaching and learning.

“By making the lessons fun, students learn without even realising. Each student has their own game, allowing them to improve their reading in their own time and at their own pace."

Fonics is free, but pays for itself through it's PRO version which is designed for teaching professionals and schools. With Fonics PRO teachers are able to track each students progress and use other analytics and data in order to quickly spot any gaps in their classes knowledge.

"As teachers, being able to tailor our lessons specifically to our classes needs by using invaluable data like this is the future of teaching, and it is hugely exciting to be at the forefront of it.”

Fonics is more than just a resource for teachers however. Miss Cooper believes one of the most important factors to improving literacy and reading is by promoting reading at home.

“Learning doesn't stop when children leave the classroom, pupils that progress the most continue their learning with their parents in the evenings, at weekends and during the holidays. Fonics is designed to fit in seamlessly with both the school and home environment allowing children to improve their reading anytime, anywhere.”

Fonics, as a company, only launched two months ago yet already has over 8,000 schools and parents registered their interest.

Sophie said: “We have been blown away by the response from both teachers and parents telling us this is exactly what they have been looking for. It is hugely exciting and it is amazing to finally have Fonics out there after all the hard work from everyone involved.”

Miss Cooper, who still teaches full time in Tiverton, Devon while working on Fonics in the evenings continued: “At the beginning of June each Year 1 classroom in England will be taking the 'Phonics Screening Check', the first official test of a students school career. Introduced by the Government in 2012 the test measures a students ability to read 32 out of 40 words correctly, yet in 2014 one in four children failed this test.”

“From now on there will be more emphasis put on reading in schools. While Fonics is not an app to help pass this test, we hope that Fonics will prove to be an invaluable asset for students, teachers and parents over the coming months. One in four children falling behind in their very first test of their school careers does not sit well with me!”

You can download the app for free now. Simply search 'Fonics' in all major app stores or visit www.fonics.co.uk for more details.