So You Want To ….. Support Phonics in Early Childhood

This course is aimed at anyone who wants to have a better understanding of Phonics as it is taught in early-years and primary education. You may want to work in primary or early years education or just want to know how to better support children learning to read and write. This is an introductory course and is not suitable for people who are already skilled or experienced in teaching literacy.

You will develop your understanding of what phonics is, why it is important in early childhood settings and gain a basic introduction to how it is taught. Practical activities will help you explore the types of tasks you will undertake whilst teaching phonics in early childhood settings and will give you a better understanding as to whether this could be a career choice for you. You will also learn the skills and qualifications you will need to gain employment in this sector. This course does not qualify or fully train you to teach phonics professionally, but it could be a starting point towards this goal or give you enough skills to be supportive to children in your personal life.

This course is a one-day course including learning the theory of phonics and undertaking practical activities as they would be delivered in education settings. It is a non-accredited course, that will act as a taster session where you learn about the practice of working as a teaching assistant or an early year's practitioner. You will be taught different aspects linked to both roles that will enable you to decide on your next steps. There is no written work or exam just turn up and expect to be enlightened.

There are no specific entry requirements, however, you should have an adequate level of English and Maths (equivalent to Entry 3) to be able to fully engage with this short course. If you choose to progress onto vocational qualifications in early-years or primary education, you will need to have English and Maths qualifications, so you should consider gaining those qualifications before pursuing vocational qualifications.

If you decide that a career in early-years or primary education is your goal, you will be offered the opportunity to take the initial assessment for the appropriate qualification courses at the end of this course. This will show you which level of course you need to start your journey from. Leicester Adult Education are pleased to offer a free, impartial in-house careers service to support our learners to make decisions around their future career goals and choices. We have physical and digital resources available to support you and face to face careers appointments with our qualified and experienced adviser, all of which are easily accessed once enrolled.