Literacy Programme
At Mini Scholars, we believe that language is the foundation of all learning. Our Academy English Programme is thoughtfully designed to nurture a love of words, stories, and communication in children aged 3 to 5. Through playful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate activities, we support every child on their journey to becoming a confident communicator and an enthusiastic early reader and writer.
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Our programme builds on what children naturally do best: talking, listening, singing, and exploring. By weaving language learning into daily routines, songs, stories, and play, we help children develop essential literacy skills including phonological awareness, vocabulary growth, phonics knowledge, and print awareness. Children are also introduced to high frequency sight words, helping them recognise and connect spoken and written language with growing confidence.
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Aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Belonging, Being and Becoming, our approach ensures that learning in the preschool years is joyful, hands on and meaningful. Each child is given the opportunity to explore books, create their own stories, play with sounds and letters, and express their ideas through early writing experiences.
Most importantly, the Mini Scholars English Programme is designed to instil a lifelong love of reading and communication, ensuring that every child leaves our academy feeling capable, curious and ready for the next step in their learning journey.
Foundations of Learning at
Mini Scholars Academy
Literacy Foundations (Developmental Pathway)
Vocabulary Growth
Children build a rich vocabulary through stories, songs, conversations, and play. This strengthens their ability to communicate, share ideas, and understand the world around them.
EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators.
High Frequency Words and Picture Cues (Sight Words)
Children begin to recognise common words and use pictures to make meaning from texts, supporting early reading fluency.
EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Children engage with and respond to symbols and texts.
Phonetics (Sound Awareness)
Through rhymes, clapping games, and listening activities, children learn to distinguish sounds, syllables, and rhythms, forming the foundation of phonics.
EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Children engage in emergent literacy practices.
Learning Short Vowels with CVC Words
Children are introduced to short vowels in simple consonant vowel consonant (CVC) words such as cat, bed, and sit, helping them begin blending sounds into words.
Consonant Blends
Children learn to recognise and read blends such as st, bl, and tr, increasing fluency in both reading and writing.
Diphthongs and Long Vowels
Children are introduced to more complex sound patterns including diphthongs (oi, ou) and long vowels, broadening their decoding skills and confidence.
Simple Comprehension
Children begin to retell familiar stories, answer simple questions, and connect ideas, moving from recognising words to understanding meaning.
EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Children engage with a range of texts to build comprehension, prediction, and communication skills.
Together, vocabulary, word recognition, sound awareness, phonics, blends, and comprehension form the foundation of literacy, helping children express their ideas, decode words, and find joy in reading and understanding texts.​
This developmental pathway reflects the EYLF principles of play based, culturally responsive, and language rich learning that builds each child’s confidence as a reader and communicator.