Want your child reading before Reception?

What early reading assessments actually test

Whether your child is preparing for a 4+ assessment or you simply want them ahead of the curve, the skills that assessors and teachers look for are the same.

Alongside social confidence and focus, most schools will check whether your child can recognise letters and the sounds they make. They will also ask children to blend simple sounds together. These aren't skills children pick up by chance. They need to be built - carefully, and early.

What schools are looking for:

• Can your child recognise letters and their sounds?
• Can they blend simple sounds to make a word?
• Can they stay focused on a short task with an unfamiliar adult?
• Do they engage with confidence?

The good news: all of this is teachable. And it's most effectively built at home, by you, in short daily moments - not in weekly tutoring sessions.

Oral Blending

Most phonics teaching starts with letters on a page. I do things differently.

My method starts with sound first - reducing pressure and helping children tune into the sounds in words before relying on print. Children practise blending through games and playful activities using their ears first, while simple letter recognition is introduced gradually and naturally alongside the oral work.

The two reinforce each other, and for a bright, motivated child the progress can be remarkable.

I've seen children reading simple CVC words well before they start school. With the right method and regular practice at home, it's entirely achievable - and it puts your child in a genuinely strong position from day one.

This approach works because it is:

• Age-appropriate for children from 3+
• Low pressure and genuinely enjoyable
• Built around how very young children actually learn
• Designed to get children reading simple words fast