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Western Australia embraces systematic synthetic phonics with new mandates

Sound Waves Literacy 13/8/24

Western Australian schools are now mandated to follow the updated phonics and word knowledge sub-strand of the new Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 – with the rest of the English curriculum to follow in 2025.

As part of the Western Australia Department of Education Phonics Initiative, this update requires public schools across Western Australia to implement systematic synthetic phonics in order to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms, and further support student learning.

Backed by a wealth of research, the Department of Education believes ‘phonics is necessary for children to become successful readers, spellers and writers.’

Educators in Western Australia are seeking effective, curriculum-aligned training and resources to ensure their schools thrive – so, how can Sound Waves Literacy help?

Curriculum covered

Sound Waves Literacy comprehensively covers all content descriptions in the Phonics and Word Knowledge sub-strand of the new Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. View our Australian Curriculum Match for more information.

Systematic synthetic phonics

Sound Waves Literacy uses a systematic synthetic phonics approach to teaching spelling and reading. It’s systematic because it follows a carefully controlled order of introduction for graphemes, and it has a cumulative Scope and Sequence that progresses from simple to more complex concepts. The synthetic phonics approach means students are explicitly taught phoneme–grapheme relationships, and how to segment and synthesise (blend) phonemes for spelling and reading.

While the program uses systematic synthetic phonics as its base, it also covers phonemic awareness in the early years and shifts to building students’ morphological awareness and etymological knowledge as they move through the upper years.

Explicit instruction

All of the instruction in Sound Waves Literacy is designed to be clear and direct to facilitate explicit teaching. There is no expectation that students will implicitly pick up or discover reading and spelling. Lessons use the Gradual Release of Responsibility model and provide teachers with carefully structured lesson guides and interactive slideshows for every phoneme–grapheme relationship and focus concept taught across F–6. Lessons include opportunities for teachers to check for students’ understanding and culminate in independent practice for students to consolidate knowledge.


Evidence-informed and aligned to the Science of Reading

Sound Waves Literacy is an evidence-informed program based on findings from peer-reviewed research and reviews from the fields of education, psychology and linguistics on the best practices for reading and spelling instruction. This includes the interdisciplinary research of the Science of Reading, which provides evidence for the cognitive processes that underpin the development of children’s oral language, reading and writing skills. For research links, read our detailed article Sound Waves Literacy and synthetic phonics: The facts.

Reading instruction using Decodable Readers

Reading and spelling are intrinsically linked. As such, Sound Waves Literacy includes targeted reading instruction in early years lessons through the use of Decodable Readers.

Sound Waves Decodable Readers are short texts that only contain the phoneme–grapheme relationships students have been explicitly taught in the program’s sequence. These books give students specific opportunities to apply their phonemic awareness and knowledge of phoneme–grapheme relationships which, over time, leads to quick and accurate word recognition.

For each focus phoneme taught in the Foundation and Year 1 sequence, there is a Support, Core or Extended Decodable Reader to choose from. Having differentiated decodable texts means every student can experience reading success.

Free professional learning

The Sound Waves Literacy team has a wealth of teaching experience and offers a range of tailored professional learning opportunities and ongoing support to help schools effectively use our wide range of teaching and learning resources. Whether your school wants an introduction to systematic synthetic phonics, a deep dive into segmenting skills or tricky graphemes, or a focus on effective early reading instruction, there’s a workshop option to suit your needs. Contact your local education consultant to book a workshop for your school today.

A whole-school approach

The Sound Waves Literacy whole-school approach ensures students are given consistent, sequential and cumulative instruction as they progress through their primary school years. This provides a nested platform for students to revise and build on their phoneme–grapheme knowledge each year, which extends to morphology and etymology as the program progresses. A whole-school approach also benefits teachers, as they can plan, report and share best practice more cohesively.

So Western Australian schools, it’s time to take the next step to ensure your school meets the new curriculum mandates for phonics instruction. Start exploring the Sound Waves Literacy resources with a 30-day free trial.

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