Cardiff Council has announced a major new three-year literacy initiative aimed at reducing the reading attainment gap across schools in the city.
The programme will provide universal access to the Monster Phonics Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme for all Welsh and English-medium schools in Cardiff, including primary, secondary and special schools.
The initiative forms a key part of Cardiff’s wider Reading Framework and is designed to strengthen early reading skills, support learners at risk of falling behind and create a more consistent approach to reading development across the education system.
The council says up to 63,000 children across Cardiff could benefit from the programme, making it one of the largest early reading initiatives undertaken in Wales.
The pilot builds on existing foundations, with 20 primary schools in Cardiff already using the Monster Phonics programme.
Alongside phonics teaching resources, schools taking part will receive professional learning opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants, shared assessment tools, access to digital learning resources and targeted support for learners.
The programme is particularly focused on supporting pupils eligible for free school meals, children with Additional Learning Needs, multilingual learners and children in care.
It will also support reading development for pupils transitioning into Years 7 and 8.
Schools choosing to participate will receive access to the full Monster Phonics programme and digital tools, shared assessment models, a bespoke Cardiff reading dashboard to track progress and regular partnership review meetings to monitor outcomes and identify support needs.
Cardiff Council says the initiative is designed to improve consistency in reading support while still allowing schools to retain autonomy over their chosen phonics approach.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “Early reading is the foundation for success, and this three-year pilot marks an important step in our commitment to giving every child in Cardiff the strongest possible start in reading and literacy and to remove barriers of disadvantage in developing the fundamental skills of reading for development of learning and life chances.
“By offering a consistent and coherent, city-wide approach to high-quality phonics training and resources, we are removing barriers, supporting our schools financially and taking practical action to close the attainment gap, whilst developing the professional learning of reading skills for all staff working with our children. This work strengthens long-term outcomes for children and young people and aligns closely with our Cardiff Inclusion Strategy as well as national priorities for literacy, inclusion and school improvement.
“With up to 63,000 learners able to benefit, this partnership reflects Cardiff’s determination to build one of the most equitable and high-performing early reading systems in Wales. It demonstrates our commitment to delivering equity, excellence and opportunity for every child across the city.”
Monster Phonics founder Ingrid Connors said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to improving literacy outcomes for children across Cardiff.
“We are incredibly proud to be working in partnership with Cardiff to support early reading across the city. This initiative reflects the very heart of Monster Phonics and why it was created: to ensure every child has the strongest possible start in reading, regardless of background, starting point or school.
What stands out is the shared commitment to supporting teachers and school staff through high quality professional development, while fully respecting the autonomy of schools to choose the approaches that work best for their communities.
When schools are well supported and children experience success early in their reading journey, the impact can be transformative. We are also excited about the opportunity to learn from the work taking place in Cardiff and to explore how independent research and evaluation may help us continue improving the way we support children as they learn to read.”
The council says the pilot will gather data throughout the three-year programme to measure its impact on literacy outcomes and help inform future education policy and investment decisions across Cardiff schools.
