ELS Fluency: Year 1/Primary 2 and Year 2/Primary 3: Handbook

ELS Fluency Handbook is the essential guide to the ELS Fluency programme, designed to develop fluency skills and build reading confidence for children in Year 1–2 / Primary 2–3.

The programme combines reading modelling, guided practice, progress checks, and targeted next steps, making it the perfect complement to your phonics teaching. This Handbook provides clear guidance on delivering the programme, assigning fluency texts, and using the two Fluency Anthologies. It also includes materials and instructions for impactful Progress Checks every half term.

Flexible and effective, ELS Fluency can be delivered to whole classes, small groups, or as a one-to-one intervention. Help every child become a fluent, confident reader with ELS Fluency.

Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) is a Department for Education validated synthetic phonics programme, developed by the Knowledge Schools Trust English Hub to help children learn to read quickly and confidently.

Structured around daily lessons and matched to the progression of the original Letters and Sounds framework, ELS provides a clear, systematic approach to phonics. Each stage is supported by engaging decodable books, interactive resources, and practical guidance for parents and teachers.

Used in classrooms across the UK, ELS is designed to build fluent readers, confident speakers, and willing writers. Affordable, flexible, and easy to implement, it works seamlessly with existing resources while offering everything needed to support children's literacy journey both at school and at home.