Used in over 150 countries
Jolly Phonics and PIRLS Proven success using the world’s most popular phonics programme
Ireland jumps to 2nd in PIRLS league table
Jolly Phonics and Improved PIRLS Scores
The dedicated choice of 86% of Primary Schools, Jolly Phonics has enabled Ireland to move up 8 places in the league table, from 10th in 2011 up to 2nd in the world by 2021.
Impacting over 150 countries for more than 30 years The positive impact of Jolly Phonics has been evidenced in the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2021
Ireland’s lucky charm Ireland’s exceptional performance in the PIRLS results shows the nation’s commitment to nurturing young minds at work in partnership with Jolly Phonics. Teachers are free to choose the programme they want and, most especially, the training they want, leading to high engagement and success using Jolly Phonics.
results, with notable improvements in PIRLS Norma Foley, Education Minister for Ireland, said, ‘These results are extremely positive news for Ireland. We have retained our place among a small set of high achieving countries for achievement in fundamental skills in our schools.’
scores for countries like Singapore, Ireland, Hong Kong and England. Full PIRLS Results 2021 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 11 12 14 14 14 17 17 17 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 27 29
Singapore Ireland* Hong Kong SAR Russia N. Ireland* England Croatia Lithuania* Finland Poland USA* Chinese Taipei Australia Bulgaria Czech Republic Hungary* Denmark Norway Italy Macau Austria Slovakia Latvia* Netherlands Germany New Zealand Spain Portugal
587 577 573 567 566 558 557 552 549 549 548 544 540 540 540 539 539 539 537 536 530 529 528 527 524 521 521 520
29 31 32 32 34 35 35 37 38 39 40 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
Slovenia Malta Serbia France Albania Cyprus Belgium (Flemish) Israel Kazakhstan* Turkey Belgium (French) Georgia* Montenegro Qatar UAE Bahrain* Saudi Arabia* N. Macedonia Azerbaijan Uzbekistan Oman Kosovo Brazil Iran Jordan Egypt Morocco* South Africa
520 515 514 514 513 511 511 510 504 496 494 494 487 485 483 458 449 442 440 437 429 421 419 413 381 378 372 288
Countries that have integrated Jolly Phonics into their primary education curriculum have seen notable improvements in their PIRLS scores. The systematic and structured approach of Jolly Phonics has proven to be instrumental in enhancing phonemic awareness,
decoding
skills
and
literacy levels among students.
overall
PIRLS is recognised as the global standard for assessing trends in reading achievement internationally for children aged 9-10. Jolly Phonics uses a unique, multi-sensory approach, equipping teachers with a comprehensive toolset to teach reading and writing. At the forefront of transforming literary education globally, Jolly Phonics has been adopted as government policy by many countries.
2011
2016
2021
Hong Kong
Russia
Singapore
Russia Finland
Singapore
2. Ireland
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Singapore Northern Ireland United States
4. Ireland
Russia
Finland
Northern Ireland 6. England
Denmark
Poland Northern Ireland
Chinese Taipei Croatia
Norway Chinese Taipei
Lithuania
10. Ireland
8. England
Finland
Croatia
10. England
‘It’s great to see the impact of Jolly Phonics on national literacy results, as part of a wider picture. It also shows the benefit of good policymaking, combining programme choice with the provision of materials and training.’ Chris Jolly, Publisher
England: higher than the international average The latest PIRLS puts England in 6th place in a global education league table. England’s 10-year-olds had an average score of 558, higher than the international average and similar to the score achieved in the previous cycle (559 in 2016). Nick Gibb, the then Minister of State for Schools said, ‘The Government’s reforms – such as a focus on phonics, which teaches children to read using sounds – are behind England’s successful performance despite disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.’ Rush Green Primary School demonstrates that performance, using Jolly Phonics for over 10 years and transforming the literacy ability of their students.
‘For us, we want our children to be able to be successful readers and writers by the time they leave school and Jolly Phonics is part of the foundations for this.’ Lucy Davies, English Lead
Singapore At Number 1 – A Jolly Good Result! With Jolly Phonics as the most popular phonics programme in schools, Singapore has risen to 1st place, with the additional claim to be the only education system to make continued, steady progress over 20 years since the first PIRLS study in 2001. Crucial to Singapore’s success is the funding provided by the government for teacher training, which has enabled teachers to benefit from high quality training and therefore maximise the potential of programmes in their schools.
United States edging towards the top 10 Since 2011, the United States PIRLS score has held steady over a 10-year period (549 in 2011 vs 548 in 2021). However, the progress of other countries has outpaced the US, leaving it just outside the top 10 in 11th place.
How Jolly Phonics can make the difference in the US With phonics becoming more embedded in the US, the opportunity for higher achievement is huge.
‘The looks on students’ faces during the lessons are incredible. Students are learning, motivated and are applying what they learn throughout the day. This is not another phonics program. It will change how you and students feel about phonics.’ Kiely Treschitta, Kindergarten Teacher
When Jolly Phonics was introduced to Windham Primary School in Maine, the percentage of students who ended their kindergarten year above grade level tripled compared to two previous years and changed the way teachers taught and students learned. From this case study and others, Jolly Phonics has proven to be the game changer needed for student results.
Find out how Jolly Phonics can improve outcomes for your pupils! www.jollylearning.co.uk
info@jollylearning.co.uk
020 8501 0405