A FREE Systematic Reading, Spelling and Writing Programme

Building firm foundations in reading, spelling and writing​

Reading Made Simple is a complete literacy programme designed to give children a secure start in reading, spelling and writing while helping older learners fill gaps in their knowledge.
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Developed and refined over many years in response to real children, it provides a clear, systematic pathway from first sounds to confident reading, spelling and writing.

A secure start for beginners
A fresh start for learners who have struggled         

Whether your child is just beginning to read/spell or needs help rebuilding confidence after struggling, Reading Made Simple provides a clear, systematic pathway to success.

Every new skill is taught explicitly, practised thoroughly and built upon step by step. This carefully structured approach helps beginners develop secure foundations while allowing older learners to fill gaps in their reading, spelling and writing.

Because the programme removes as many barriers to learning as possible, it has proved especially effective for children who have not thrived with other reading programmes.
A programme designed for every child --
​not just the child who finds reading easy
A right start from the beginning can prevent years of unnecessary struggle.
​✓ Complete online programme – FREE to access
✓  Essential resources – FREE to download
✓ Printed books and additional support resources – available at low cost
100% systematic, removing as many obstacles to learning as possible

Why parents and teachers choose Reading Made Simple

Learn more about how Reading Made Simple works here.

Simple

  • Simple to teach
  • Little preparation
  • No technical 'phonics' language to learn
  • Makes learning as simple as possible for EVERYONE!*​
​​ *But its simplicity does not mean hard work is not required by teacher and pupil alike!

Systematic

  • Each tiny step builds so perfectly on the one before that pupils often do not even realise they are learning!​​

Flexible

  • No 'one-size-fits-all'.
  • Choose the path through the programme that is right for​ your child
  • The programme can be followed for reading and spelling/writing, or just spelling/writing for those who can already read.​
  • ​Many different paths are possible!

Our Golden Rule: 
​Make the programme fit the child, not the child fit the programme.

​Every child learns differently. Rather than expecting every learner to follow exactly the same path, Reading Made Simple is designed to be flexible. Whether a child needs extra practice, a different starting point, reading without spelling, or spelling without reading, the programme can be adapted to meet their needs while maintaining secure, systematic teaching.

​The results speak for themselves.

RMS uses time-honoured teaching strategies

Teaching effectively in the shortest time possible.*
Just add a good handwriting programme!
​
*We cannot guarantee how long a child will take to learn, but we know many parents have come to this programme in desperation and seen real progress for the first time.

Flashcards

Resources to support learning
Teachers view our shop on TPT to find our complete literacy programme growing bundle. Buy now and save £££'s. If you need the Special Needs reading course, then see the bundle below.

The simple RMS Reading and Writing programme

​A simple weekly routine that takes the guesswork out of teaching.

🧱   Monday – Learn the new word list
🌾   Tuesday–Thursday – Practise reading and/or spelling and writing
🌿   Friday – Dictation and review (for spelling thread)

Level 0 - Building Strong Foundations

Levels 0 and 1 are essential for all pupils to complete unless they can demonstrate proficiency.

Level 1  - Phonics with Ease

​For reading and/or spelling 
​We learn basic phonics sounds used in the most commonly used regular words, mainly one-syllable words.
Separate supporting materials are available for all learners of all abilities to ensure success.
  • The Tom stories provide young beginners with plenty of stimulating reading material
  • The Jack stories do likewise for older pupils who are securing the foundations.

On completion of Level 1, reading and spelling follow separate pathways:

Reading

After Level 1 we move on to learn more complex sounds not learned for spelling until the end of Level 2 and in Level 3. See Moving On With Reading.

Spelling

Spelling continues for three more levels, each building on the one before.
​Although these levels are mainly for spelling, thy also act as reading reinforcement where needed.

Level 2 - Spellingwith Confidence

We revise Level 1 sounds and add new vocabulary, including more words with two or more syllables.
​We then learn more sounds and introduce some irregular words.
​Level 2 can also be the entry level for older SEN pupils with gaps in their phonics knowledge in either reading or spelling.

Two optional workbooks provide spelling practice and teach basic grammar along with reading passages to support weak readers. 

Level 3 - Spelling with Skill

We revise previously taught sounds and learn more vocabulary, including multisyllabic words and common prefixes and suffixes. We learn some new, less common sounds. We continue to learn more irregularities.

​Two optional workbooks provide spelling and grammar practice, and in addition, Level 3 starts a gentle writing course to encourage fledgling writers to put their thoughts on paper.

Level 4 - Spelling with Mastery

We learn more complex suffixes and more irregular words.

Two optional workbooks provide a writing course to prepare pupils for secondary-level work. For older pupils who do not have time for further study, it will provide a very good foundation for life.

Reviews

Reading Made Simple has been so helpful to us. I've been amazed at how my daughter was happy to write out dictations at such a young age. Lilibette has always been very quick to respond to any difficulties downloading documents and she has been very supportive when any queries have arisen. We've nearly completed it for our daughter and are now starting it with our son. Would highly recommend it. 
​Mrs G. (A Homeschooling mother)
​I had been home-educating for 10+ years before I came across Lilibette’s method! It’s been a life-changing event as I’ve figured out how to teach effectively with less time being frustrated for both myself and the children. Lilibette understands with a high degree of instinct and experience how to effectively teach a child! I’ve been so very blessed by her. Thank you for giving me the tools to be confident as a mother and teacher!
​Mrs. B. (A home-educating mother of five, two of whom have special needs)

I am so thankful for Reading Made Simple. Without this programme I would not have known how to teach my daughter to read.  
​(A Parent)   

I really enjoy learning to spell with Reading Made Simple. I imagine every letter is a brick and when I have finished the word I pretend I have built a castle!
(An 8 year old learner doing Level 2 for spelling)

​My children are really enjoying the lessons!
(Mrs C.)
I started using the "Reading Made Simple" programme with my four-year-old twins and it has been a joy to watch them progress over the course of the year. I particularly appreciated the storybooks that accompany each new sound. My problem has always been that early readers throw too many curve-balls into the book that are impossible for children to decipher. Additionally, my children would rapidly memorise the stories and it was tricky to find inexpensive material to check that they really understood the new sound. The stories from "Reading Made Simple" are abundant and are pitched exactly right to capture the interest of little children. My girls would often stand by the printer, waiting to read the book hot off the press! Thanks for all the hard work that has gone into putting the programme together!!
Mrs Turpin. (A home-educating mother of seven)
Both of my children are coming along. My (6 yr old) daughter (coming towards the end of Level 1 for reading and spelling) is reading "Going on a Bear Hunt" followed by "The Tiger Who Came to tea".... Some memory assistance I'm sure but stopping and sounding out as memory fails. I know it is slow and careful so she is really reading. My toddler was very pleased because I'd read the Bear book three times after breakfast and said I couldn't do it again!  Exciting times .... And to think she thought the writing was too tiny and said "I can't" only to discover "I can"! 
Mrs W. (A home educating mother of four with an 8yr old who has heretofore struggled to read but is now making progress and has just started Level 1 using the special needs workbooks and reading books)
Reading Made Simple is perfect for ESL Thai primary kids. It is really simple and easy to teach. Thank you.
Reading Made Simple is a great website for learning phonics. Our family found this website and we love it. It helped us to teach our children and they love it. Thank you
I have come across and been using your wonderful resources with children experiencing difficulties with reading.  This has so far been excellent for building confidence and skills at a much slower pace, where other schemes have been unsuccessful.
A special needs teacher, Scotland

Frequently Asked Questions

​CAN I USE THIS PROGRAMME TO TEACH JUST SPELLING?
Yes! Many families do just that. 
My child has speech difficulties. Can I still Use this programme?
I have used RMS to teach children with speech difficulties to read and write. I cannot guarantee any particular child's success, as this depends on innate ability and the quality of teaching (as does any programme), but it is systematic enough to enable you to help your child to progress to his/her maximum capacity to learn. Allow for the programme to take longer.
My child has special needs. Can this programme help?
RMS is highly structured. This means that it removes much of the mental strain required by other phonics programmes which cause many to stumble. If your child had failed with other programmes, then try RMS. You will hopefully be surprised to find that your child starts to make real progress.
​Find out where to start your child here.
I home educate my child. Can I use this programme?
Absolutely! I home educated my children and have designed RMS to suit the home educating family.
It is easy to use, simple to teach and understand and only takes up to half an hour a day to teach - usually less.
My child has already done phonics but not made progress. Can RMS help?
Yes! As RMS is more highly structured and systematic than many other phonics programmes, with fewer rules to learn, it reduces the mental load, allowing children who have difficulties processing information to succeed. Try it, and I hope you find that your child soon makes progress, but be sure to put your other programme/s to one side and work systematically through Reading Made Simple. You cannot use it alongside another programme. Learn where to start your child here.
Will RMS fit in with what my chld is taught in school?
If your child's school teaches phonics, then the answer is YES! However, it will not teach the sounds in the same order. If you teach your child according to this programme at home, your child will start to make progress and s/he may then find it easier to access what is taught in school and if not, s/he will make progress regardless.
Can I use the Scope and Sequence out of Order?
No. Each lesson builds on the one before, making learning easy. By jumping around, your child will lose out on this structure, become confused, and learning may halt.
How was RMS devised?
RMS was devised as a result of our many years teaching reading and Lilibette having responsibility for the teaching of reading across the whole school (R to Y6) in an Inner London state school. In our work, we drew upon the work of many good folk, such as Mona McNee, Beverly Hornsby, Violet Brand, Dr Joyce Morris and others. We found out those things that work and those that did not. Lilibette then home-educated her own children, one of whom had a speech delay and special needs. We both then saw the need for our own programme that taught both reading and spelling to a high standard. RMS is a living programme. Lilibette still uses it in her work as a private tutor to children aged 5 to 15 with special needs, and we are still tweaking it to make sure that it really is the best it can be to help all children progress as easily as possible. 
Is RMS available in print?
The Level 1  and Level 2 teaching manuals and worksheets for older pupils are available to purchase both as a PDF download from the shop or TPT and in paperback form from Amazon.
Why does Reading Made Simple work when others fail?
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  • It is more highly structured, systematic and incremental than most other programmes, reducing working memory load, allowing even those with poor processing skills to make progress.
  • Its simple structure/teaching means that children do not even realise they are learning.
  • It combines incremental skill development with ample revision through the use of carefully written, sequential dictions, phonic workbooks and reading books (where applicable), making sure that children do not become overwhelmed.
  • Because rules are kept to the minimum making it easier for parents and learners.
  • It utilises the proven, multisensory tool of the hand in writing to aid not only spelling, but also reading.
Find out more here.
Why is Reading Made Simple Free?
RMS is free to access online as we believe that all children should be able to learn to read using the best resources, for FREE, so that none are barred by price. The ability to read is vital for success in life, but more so, it allows us to read the Word of God, the Holy Bible, which is the means by which we learn of the way of Salvation from sin through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, shed on Calvary for all those that call upon his name. 
​“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Does the fact that RMS is free mean that it is not a good phonic programme?
This is far from the case. It is based on the latest research as to how children learn to read and write, as well as having been formed from our work with many, many children, of differing ages to adulthood, with a combined total of over 40 yrs experience.
I am not a christian. do I have to use the Read the Bible element?
No. The Read the Bible element is there to encourage children to read the Bible as it is the best book to read, showing the way to ETERNAL LIFE through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for sin. The Authorised Version is actually the simplest version (and the most reliable translation) for a child to read. However it is additional to the programme and not necessary for its success.
Can I use RMS to supplement another programme?
Simply put, no. RMS cannot be used to help a child who is struggling with your existing programme. Reading Made Simple will be most effective when it is undertaken as the only phonics programme your pupil does. The whole structure and every component of RMS are crucial for the success of the programme, as it is planned so carefully that every tiny new concept gently builds on the ones before. If you have already used a phonics programme and your child has not made progress, put it to one side and use only RMS, following the simple instructions carefully.
If you have any questions that I have not answered, or would like to know more, please contact me.

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