Phonics in home education UK: how synthetic phonics and Montessori reading compare

What is synthetic phonics and why does it matter for phonics home education UK?

Synthetic phonics is the dominant method for teaching early reading in English schools. If you are doing phonics home education UK, understanding it is the essential starting point, whether you intend to use it or not.

For parents navigating home education phonics in the UK, SSP means teaching children the link between written letters and spoken sounds and then blending those sounds together to read words. Synthetic phonics is a method of teaching reading by starting with the smallest sounds in English and building up from there. The child learns the link between a written letter or letter group and its spoken sound (what teachers call a grapheme-phoneme correspondence), then blends those sounds together to decode words.

In a typical SSP programme, children learn around 44 phonemes across a structured sequence, usually starting with single-letter sounds (s, a, t, p, i, n) and moving to digraphs (sh, ch, th) and split digraphs (a-e, i-e). The approach is explicit and systematic: every sound is taught directly, practised in isolation, then applied to reading and writing real words.

SSP became the dominant method in English state schools after the 2006 Rose Review recommended it as the primary approach for teaching early reading. Since 2012, all Year 1 pupils in state-funded schools sit the Phonics Screening Check (a short assessment of 40 real and pseudo-words designed to test decoding).

Home-educated children are not required to sit this check. It is a statutory school assessment, not a legal obligation for home educators. You may hear about it constantly from family or online groups, but it does not apply to you. For a fuller picture of what home educators are and are not required to cover, see Do home educators have to follow the National Curriculum?

Common SSP programmes used in schools include Read Write Inc, Letters and Sounds, Jolly Phonics and Little Wandle. Some home-educating families use these at home; others find them designed for classroom delivery and difficult to adapt. If you are researching synthetic phonics for home education, these programmes are the ones you will encounter most often in UK forums and Facebook groups.

How does the Montessori literacy path work?

The Montessori approach to reading follows a different sequence, but it is equally structured. The key difference is the starting point: where SSP begins with decoding (reading), Montessori begins with encoding (writing).

The sequence runs roughly like this:

Sound games and oral language first. Before any letters appear, the child plays I-Spy games using initial sounds ("I spy something beginning with mmm"), builds vocabulary through conversation and classified cards, and develops phonemic awareness through listening.

Sandpaper letters (individual letters cut from sandpaper and mounted on boards, one sound per card). The child traces the letter with two fingers (index and middle, following the direction of writing) while saying its phonic sound, not its letter name. Lowercase script, not capitals. Letters are introduced in non-confusing pairs (m and t before m and n, for example) so the child can distinguish them clearly.

The moveable alphabet (a box of loose lowercase letters the child uses to build words before their hand can write with a pencil). The child hears a word, segments its sounds, and selects the matching letters. At this stage, the child is encoding phonetically. Spelling does not need to be conventional yet. "KAT" for cat is correct for the stage.

The explosion into writing. At some point, often suddenly, the child begins writing everywhere: labels, lists, stories, signs on doors. This is a well-documented phenomenon in Montessori practice. The right response is to display the work and not correct the spelling. The child is practising encoding, and correction at this stage interrupts the process.

The pink, blue and green reading series. Once encoding is established, the child moves into structured decoding:

• Pink series (CVC words: cat, mat, hop, sun) with object boxes and picture-word matching.
• Blue series (consonant blends and digraphs: ship, chip, frog, clap) with phrase and sentence reading.
• Green series (puzzle words and phonograms: night, through, said) covering the irregular spellings that make English tricky.

Do not skip the green series thinking it is optional. English spelling makes it essential.

Metal insets (geometric frames and insets the child traces to develop pencil control) run alongside the literacy sequence. They build the fine motor skills the child will need when transitioning from the moveable alphabet to handwriting.

Where do the two paths end up in the same place?

By roughly age six or seven, a child on either path arrives at the same destination: independent decoding of simple texts.

The route is different. SSP children typically decode before they write freely. Montessori children typically write (encode) before they decode. Both end up reading.

If you are using a Montessori approach at home and your child is working through the pink and blue series at age five or six, you are not behind. You are on a different road to the same place. The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check tests decoding in isolation, which is the SSP endpoint. A Montessori child at the same age may be further along in encoding and composition but slightly behind in timed decoding of pseudo-words.

This does not mean they are struggling. It means the sequence is different.

The anxiety many home-educating parents feel about phonics often comes from comparing their child's reading against school norms that assume an SSP sequence. If your child is engaged, progressing through the Montessori series, and building words with the moveable alphabet, the reading will follow. For a closer look at what Key Stage 1 covers and how Montessori maps onto it, see Key Stage 1 at home: what covered looks like for Montessori families. Phonics is one part of a wider curriculum picture; the curriculum coverage pillar covers how reading, maths, science and the rest fit together for home-educated children in the UK.

How do you blend the two approaches thoughtfully?

Some families want to use Montessori as their primary path but supplement with elements of SSP, particularly for the systematic teaching of digraphs and phonograms. This approach (sometimes called Montessori phonics in the UK) can work well if you are deliberate about it.

What blending looks like in practice:

• Use sandpaper letters and the moveable alphabet as your primary tools for introducing sounds and building words.
• Supplement the green series with a structured phonics resource for irregular spellings and tricky phonograms, rather than trying to cover them all through Montessori materials alone.
• Avoid running two full programmes side by side. If you are using Montessori sandpaper letters and simultaneously working through Read Write Inc lessons, your child may receive conflicting cues about letter names, formation, and sequencing.

When supplementary phonics resources are useful:

• Nessy is an online programme designed for children with dyslexia or those who benefit from a multisensory, game-based approach. It covers phonics systematically through short, screen-based lessons. Useful when a child has not responded to the standard Montessori or phonics sequence after consistent support, or when a specific learning difficulty is suspected.
• Toe by Toe is a structured reading manual designed for children who have not responded to standard phonics teaching. It uses a precise, step-by-step decoding sequence. If your child is eight or older and still struggling with blending despite consistent support, Toe by Toe is worth trying before seeking a formal assessment.
• Alpha to Omega is a comprehensive phonics and spelling programme widely used by specialist teachers and SEND tutors. It covers the entire English phoneme-grapheme system in sequence. Best suited to older children (seven-plus) who need structured catch-up or who have a diagnosed specific learning difficulty.

None of these are necessary for a child who is progressing through the Montessori reading sequence at a reasonable pace. They are tools for when something is genuinely stuck, not insurance policies against a problem that may not exist.

If you are a single parent or working shifts and do not have time to run a separate phonics programme alongside your Montessori materials, that is fine. The Montessori sequence alone covers decoding. Supplementation is optional, not required. The same without-scheme principle applies across the home ed curriculum. See Maths at home without a scheme for how this looks in practice for numeracy.

What does this look like for a real home-educating family?

A family using home ed phonics alongside Montessori materials does not need to run two parallel programmes. One primary path, lightly supplemented, is enough.

Danielle in Sunderland has a daughter, Maisie, age six. Danielle pulled Maisie out of school at the end of Reception because Maisie was becoming anxious about the daily phonics sessions and refusing to read aloud. A teaching assistant in the class had mentioned Maisie might "need extra support", which sent Danielle into a spiral of worry.

At home, Danielle started with Montessori sandpaper letters and sound games. Maisie took to the I-Spy games quickly and was tracing sandpaper letters within a week. After two months, Danielle introduced the moveable alphabet. Maisie spent six weeks building three-letter words on the kitchen table: "dog", "cup", "mat", "red".

Then, around Christmas, Maisie started writing labels for everything in the house. "BED", "DOR" (door), "KOT" (coat). The spelling was phonetic, not conventional, and Danielle's mum kept asking whether she should correct it.

Danielle did not. She stuck the labels on the furniture and let Maisie keep going.

By February, Maisie was reading pink series cards without being asked. She had moved from encoding to decoding on her own timetable. Danielle introduced the blue series (consonant blends and digraphs: words like "ship" and "frog") in March, and by summer Maisie was reading simple picture books independently.

Danielle never used a separate phonics programme. She considered Nessy when Maisie hit a plateau with the blue series, but a week of extra practice with the moveable alphabet cleared the block. If the block had lasted beyond a term, Danielle's next step would have been a conversation with the British Dyslexia Association about screening, not another programme.

When is specialist support warranted?

Most children learn to read between the ages of four and eight, regardless of method. Reading variance within that range is normal and does not, on its own, indicate a learning difficulty.

However, there are specific signs that warrant professional attention:

• Your child is eight or older and has made little or no progress with decoding despite consistent, structured support (Montessori or SSP).
• Persistent letter reversals (b/d, p/q) that continue well beyond age seven.
• Difficulty with rhyme, phoneme segmentation, or distinguishing similar sounds despite regular exposure through sound games or phonics.
• A family history of dyslexia, which significantly increases the likelihood.

If these signs are present, seek a specialist assessment rather than adding more phonics programmes. Stacking resources on top of an undiagnosed specific learning difficulty does not help. It adds pressure to a child who may need a different kind of support entirely.

Two starting points for assessment:

• PATOSS (Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties) maintains a directory of qualified assessors.
• The British Dyslexia Association offers guidance on assessments and support.

A private assessment typically costs between £400 and £700. Some local authorities will arrange a free assessment for home-educated children, though this varies by area and may involve a wait. If cost is a barrier, ask your LA about their provision and contact the BDA helpline for advice on funded routes.