27/06/2026
Delivering a webinar on the Jolly Phonics Handbook this week felt like stepping back into a very special chapter of my teaching journey. My first copy, well before 2000 , lived in my SEN classroom, where it sparked rapid progress and a newfound love of literacy. Soon it became central to the main class literacy hour, shaping lessons, raising outcomes, and inspiring curiosity.
That same Handbook later travelled with me to Spain. It adapted beautifully: supporting ESL learners, guiding planning, and quietly influencing practice. Back then, resources were scarce.
Understanding phonics meant understanding the classroom, the children, and the research emerging around us. National debates rumbled on about phonics versus whole‑word teaching, and we were learning, in real time, what effective SSP could look like.
And yet, the Handbook kept going. Updated, refreshed, and still wonderfully practical, it remains one of the most versatile tools I’ve ever used. It has crossed borders with me, tucked into hand luggage, ready to support teachers and children in some of the most remote places I’ve visited.
I’m glad it’s still here. Still relevant. Still helping children fall in love with words.
