I’m Emma Hartnell-Baker and I have QTS and a Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs. I’m undertaking doctoral research at the University of Reading, studying how teachers make decisions when asked to support children to map words that contain GPCs not covered in their synthetic phonics programme, for example sugar, and whether accents affect their decision-making.

I have taught full time in school-managed nurseries inspected as Outstanding, and I was previously appointed as an OFSTED Inspector with responsibility for inspecting Early Years settings. I also worked for the Queensland Education Department advising schools on behaviour, and spent ten years supporting schools to improve literacy school-wide by tackling word mapping head-on.

My approach in Australia starts with Speech Sound Play to develop phonemic awareness and phonological working memory, which introduces the Core Code and can be transitioned to the Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach or the systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme used by the school. It is a visual and linguistic (speech-to-print) approach to phonics, taught differently because children work through the GPCs tested in the PSC at their own pace, with teachers trained to understand the IPA and how accents impact on word mapping.

I am known for my obsession with using “Duck Hands, Speech Sound Lines and Numbers” to segment words, and showing the code (making the graphemes and phonemes visible) as the basis for supporting orthographic knowledge within the neurodiverse early years classroom: hands-on, multisensory learning to support independence early.

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Dr Grace Elliott carries out specialist diagnostic assessments for dyslexia and dyscalculia. She brings over fifteen years of experience as an assessor, SENCO, and teacher working within SEND. Her qualifications include APC, ATS, PG Cert SENCO, and AMBDA. Following an MSc at Oxford University with a focus on dyslexia, she went on to complete a PhD exploring effective interventions for children with reading difficulties. Grace has published widely, presented at conferences both in the UK and internationally, and most recently held the role of Professional Practice Manager at the British Dyslexia Association.
 

We first connected at a conference and have since worked together on a number of projects, including delivering training for PATOSS and presenting at the World Literacy Foundation. We are both AuDHD, and Grace is dyslexic.

Libby Charlton got in touch after attending PATOSS training and has since integrated Phonemies and Word Mapping Mastery into her work in schools, leading to notable improvements in outcomes. Libby is dyslexic and brings a strong professional background. She holds AMBDA, a Level 7 PG Diploma from Bath Spa University, and Qualified Teacher Status. She also has an Assessment Practising Certificate, full PATOSS membership, and an FE Teaching Practice Certificate from City and Guilds (Stages 1 and 2). In addition, Libby holds a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance with first class honours, along with RAD and ISTD teaching certificates in ballet, modern, and national dance. Libby took over the support of Alf, who is autistic, and had my WMM strategies and resources written into his EHCP by the EP. Alf’s progress has been remarkable. He is taught by a TA, with Libby supporting the TA under our support model. He needed to be shown the code, as he wasn’t learning it with a bottom-up approach.

Our combined experience working in schools with children who learn differently, alongside our own lived experience, means we bring both expertise and commitment to this work. We share concerns about the impact of one-size-fits-all approaches and the lack of early screening, as we see the consequences in classrooms every day. 
 

Last year I achieved a score of 85 percent in the Women in Innovation competition from Innovate UK. The focus of the application was to secure funding for a screener for three-year-olds, before formal phonics instruction begins.

The previous year, I won an Unlocking Potential award from Innovate UK, which funded the world’s first one-screen AAC for non-speaking autistic children. I am now applying for grants to expand this with a team, testing and refining it with SALTs in an SEN specialist setting.

The goal is to expand the Upstream Team with professionals working around the world, to more effectively bridge research and practice in relation to phonics. This matters because research is often lost in translation in the teaching of phonics, with some children not getting enough of the right support, while others receive extended instruction beyond what they need, rather than a system that adapts to how learning actually happens, as discussed by Mark Seidenberg. We agree that “Leaving implicit learning out of accounts of reading has resulted in overreliance on explicit instruction.” https://www.seidenbergreading.net/blog/on-structured-literacy-in-the-science-of-reading

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The focus of PRE is on making explicit instruction work for each individual, so that implicit learning can take place, and on ensuring that teachers in England understand that synthetic phonics is intended to kick-start the process. Synthetic phonics programmes cannot offer sufficient support for every child to become a fluent reader, and the Upstream Team are building a collective of professionals who can explain why this is the case and what to do about it.
 

You don’t need to be neurodivergent and have lived experience to join us, but it helps!