A Partnership Strengthening Early Literacy
SPELD SA has proudly partnered with the Department for Education’s Literacy Guarantee Unit to develop a new series of Decodable Readers aligned to the state’s R–2 Phonics and Spelling Scope and Sequence.
The books were officially launched at Wynn Vale School in an event attended by the Minister for Education, highlighting the importance of early reading and evidence-based instruction.
Designed with purpose, written for young readers
During the launch, SPELD SA Educational Resources Coordinator Emma Murphy, who leads the writing of the series, shared insights into how the books were created:
“We’ve created decodable books that are matched to the Department’s phonics and spelling scope and sequence. These are controlled phonics texts, so all the words that
are in these books, students are confident to read; they're not guessing. We encourage them to say the sounds and read the word, so they can foster a love of reading.”
She emphasised the importance of representation and familiarity:
“We hope that they see themselves in these stories, and we've been very productive about including some things in here that are reflective of our Australian, South Australian environment that they might notice, places like the river or the beach, so students recognise elements they know and want to read the stories again and again.”
As an author of the series, Emma also highlighted the role of explicit, synthetic phonics:
“Phonics is the explicit teaching of sounds and spellings; they are taught at a very specific time through a scope and sequence by a trained practitioner. Synthetic phonics aligns with the science of reading, and it’s essential that students learn in the right order with consistent practice.”
Watch the full press conference interview here.
Government support for early reading and decodable texts
The Minister for Education spoke about the role of phonics in building early reading confidence:
“Phonics is the relationship between combinations of letters and the sounds they make. When children learn phonics the right way, they’re not just memorising words, they’re learning how to decode any word. That’s the real art of learning to read.”
He also commented on the reaction of students using the new readers:
“I saw Year 1 students respond so well to these new decodable readers; there’s a real sense of pride when they successfully read one of these books. That confidence and love of reading is what we want to grow.”
The Minister shared a personal reflection on early phonics assessment:
“One of my own children received additional support after a phonics check, and it completely turned her learning around… She’s absolutely flying with her reading now. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful early phonics assessment can be.”
Supporting South Australian Learners and the Wider Community
The new decodable readers will be distributed to approximately 130 South Australian public schools, giving educators access to high-quality, evidence-based resources that support systematic phonics instruction and early intervention.
Beyond schools, the series will also be available for purchase directly through SPELD SA, ensuring that families, tutors and community members can access the same structured, meaningful texts to support reading at home.
Through this collaboration between SPELD SA and the Department for Education, children across South Australia will be able to build reading fluency, confidence and a lifelong love of reading.
