Success Stories

We visited four of our schools to find out how they're using Anima Phonics to achieve outstanding results.

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Upton Heath Primary School

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"Anima Phonics brought a sense of fun to our phonics sessions. As phonics lead I was looking for something to freshen it up for children and staff and this was perfect."

St. Joseph's Primary School

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“I’m so thankful that I opened the initial AP email – it was exactly what I was looking for to refresh, revamp and revitalise phonics teaching in St Joseph’s and has proved to be a fantastic scheme for children, parents and staff alike."

Lavant Primary School

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"I like the ease of the planning and the model of teach, practise and then apply. The visuals and the actions are brilliant prompts for children as they are building their fluency."

Kingsland Pre-Prep

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"With the rhymes, songs, actions and characters, it is so easy to challenge and extend children’s different abilities. This allows for a consistent approach across the setting and school as a whole."

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Ofsted Reports

Upton Heath Primary School, Upton, Cheshire

6th February 2024

Leaders ensure that reading is central to the school’s curriculum. The teaching of phonics starts from children’s very first day in the Reception class. Staff are well trained and use the reading curriculum effectively to build children’s knowledge and confidence. They ensure that all children, including those with SEND, read books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. Children who struggle with early reading receive well-structured support that helps them to keep up with their peers. 

​School inspection: Good

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Smallthorne Primary Academy, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire

14th November 2023

The school places a great emphasis on reading. Pupils read regularly. They enjoy listening to stories read by others. Pupils have access to a wide range of interesting books across school. This includes books available in classrooms, corridors and on display. The school trains staff well to teach reading. Pupils who fall a little behind are supported to catch up quickly. The emphasis on reading starts the moment pupils join the school in Nursery or Reception, where they read a wide range of familiar books. This helps them build their confidence and rehearse and embed new vocabulary. This creates a love of reading very early on.

​School inspection: Good

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Panshanger Primary School, Hertfordshire

31st March 2023

​From the early years, pupils build their phonics knowledge quickly and securely. This helps them to read and write confidently and accurately. Staff are skilled at providing precise support when pupils need additional help. Over time, pupils learn to read fluently. Reading high-quality texts helps them with ideas for their writing. Pupils enjoy and achieve well in reading.

​School inspection: Good

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Grimsdell Pre-Prep, Mill Hill, London

23rd January 2020

​Reception children have an excellent grasp of the sounds that letters make and can quickly identify new sounds that occur in their names. Pupils have a great appetite for books, fiction and non-fiction, largely due to the emphasis that senior leaders placed on books being at the heart of learning. Pupils have excellent writing skills. Younger pupils successfully created a dramatic phrase when writing kenning poems to successfully convey one key word using two, for example 'fire' being 'light giver' and 'forest burner'.

​School inspection: ISI does not issue grades

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English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Birmingham

23rd March 2023

​Learning to read starts as soon as children join the Reception class. Leaders and staff are passionate about children having the best possible start to their education. Skilled staff teach phonics well. With a plan to ‘keep up rather than catch up’, anyone who needs it receives extra support in class during the day. This works very well, so even those who find reading difficult say that they enjoy it. Older pupils become fluent and enthusiastic readers.

​School inspection: Good

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Glenfall Community Primary School, Cheltenham, Gloustershire

18th July 2023

Leaders have transformed the teaching of reading. Pupils now begin to learn phonics as soon as they arrive in the Reception class. They rapidly master the links between letters and sounds. Teachers give pupils lots of practice so that they become fluent at decoding. Those who struggle to keep up with the programme get lots of support and extra practice. As a result, pupils become confident readers. A few older pupils have less secure phonic knowledge than the younger ones. The clarity, structure and rigour of the new programme is helping these pupils to catch up quickly.

​School inspection: Good

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St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aldershot, Hampshire

27th February 2024

The teaching of reading is exemplary. Children in Reception start the reading programme swiftly and with purpose. This continues throughout the school and reading remains a clear priority. Staff use information from precise checks to ensure that pupils read books that are accurately matched to the sounds they have learned. Consequently, pupils develop into fluid and accurate readers. 

​School inspection: Outstanding

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Akiva School, Finchley, London

18th July 2023

Leaders prioritise reading across the school. Phonics is taught from Reception Year and most pupils gain the confidence to segment and blend sounds by the end of Year 1. The books that pupils read match the sounds they are learning. Staff encourage parents to support reading at home. There is excellent attendance at the early years parent reading information evening. Leaders instil a sense of urgency in teaching struggling pupils to become fluent readers. These pupils are supported to catch up quickly through targeted sessions. This results in pupils developing their accuracy and fluency in reading.

​School inspection: Good

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