What We Know About How ELS and ELSA Teach High-Frequency Words
 

There are currently two closely related programmes published by Oxford University Press:

• Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS), designed primarily for the UK curriculum

• Essential Letters and Sounds Australia (ELSA), adapted for Australian schools
   

Both programmes are described as systematic synthetic phonics programmes and both refer to high-frequency words as:

• “HRS words” (Harder to Read and Spell words)

The wording used publicly suggests that ELSA is an Australian adaptation of ELS, reflecting differences in curriculum and language use. The high-frequency word lists don't seem to be the same. 
 

• Are the words taught differently?

• Are children expected to map the phonemes and graphemes in the same way?
   

The publicly available materials do not clearly explain if there are differences between ELS and ELSA in relation to HRS word instruction.
 

The HRS Words in ELSA Australia
 

Foundation

I, the, no

put, of, is

to, go, into

pull

as, his

he, she, buses

we, me, be

push

was, her

my, you

they, all, are

ball, tall

when, what

oh, their

people, Mr, Mrs

your, ask, should

would, could, asked

house, mouse, water

want, very

Year 1

please, once

any, many, again

who, whole

where, two

here, sugar, friend

because

Total Number of HRS Words

Across the publicly available Foundation and Year 1 progression documents, ELSA Australia lists:

👉 50 HRS words

What Schools Say About HRS Words
 

Some school guidance explains HRS words as words children need before the relevant GPCs have been taught:

​

“HRS words, are words that children should know even though they have not yet been taught the relevant GPCs (Grapheme Phoneme Correspondences) within these words. HRS words are common in the English language, and it is important that children can read and spell them. When teaching a new HRS, we always identify the graphemes (letters which represent the sound) within the word that make it tricky e.g they (ey is tricky). Please see the Reception and Year 1 documents which outline the order and term in which these words will be taught at **** *** School.”
 

This suggests that children are expected to notice graphemes within the word that are considered harder or not yet covered by the current GPC sequence. However, the word lists sent home do not appear to give parents clear guidance on how to map the words phoneme by phoneme, or how to support spelling beyond repeated practice.
 

Another school explains:

​

“ELS Harder to Read and Spell Words
Below are the harder to read and spell words part of our Phonics scheme. During Reception, we will be practising to read these words on sight. These words are named ‘Harder to Read and Spell’ as they are not phonetically decodable. For example, ‘was’ cannot be phonetically decoded because the corresponding taught sounds would want a child to pronounce the word as w/a/s – ‘wass’. Rather, we teach the children to recognise these words through regular practise and recall. There are a lot of words so please do not be alarmed if your child cannot read or recognise the words as opportunities to practise are plentiful during school hours. As a partnership, your help at home during daily, quality reading time with your child will further support to overall improve your child’s phonics and whole word reading ability.”
 

This is confusing because the same programme is also described as a systematic synthetic phonics programme. The explanation above suggests that some words are treated as not phonetically decodable and are instead learned through sight recognition, practice and recall, rather than through explicit phoneme–grapheme mapping.
 

How the Instruction Appears to Work

The publicly available materials suggest that HRS words are:

• explicitly modelled by the teacher

• practised together with the class

• then practised independently by children

This appears consistent with an:

• “I do”

• “We do”

• “You do”

Instructional approach.

Some publicly available lesson materials also appear highly structured and may even be scripted in delivery ie the teacher is told exactly what to say.

The documents show:

• a weekly progression

• review weeks

• assessment points

• increasing GPC complexity over time
   

The HRS words are introduced alongside the GPC sequence rather than in a separate list detached from phonics teaching.
 

However, the Instructional Method Is Still Unclear

The publicly available materials viewed do not clearly explain:

• how HRS words are taught instructionally when parts fall outside the taught GPC sequence

• whether all phonemes in the words are mapped

• whether some parts are memorised visually

• how spelling of these words is taught

• or how teachers support children when pronunciations differ from the taught correspondences
   

The documents do not include:

• detailed worked examples of word mapping

• explicit explanations of how children are expected to process these words during reading and spelling

• or clear guidance for parents on how to support mapping at home

So it is not currently possible to state with certainty:

• whether the words are taught through full phoneme-by-phoneme mapping

• partial mapping plus memorisation

• visual recognition

• or another instructional method
   

Questions Raised by the Approach

The publicly available materials do not explain:

• how teachers should respond when children attempt to sound out these words

• whether children are expected to map all phonemes in the word

• how HRS words relate to spelling instruction

• what happens when children already know the words

• what teachers should do when children need additional high-frequency words outside the taught list

This Analysis Is Based on Publicly Available Information

If anything is incorrect or could be clarified to better support parents in understanding the programme, please let us know.

Emma Hartnell-Baker's Recommendation

To stay as close to the programme as possible, a practical approach is to ensure these words are learned as quickly as possible.

I have listed the 50 words covered over the 2 year programme and added words missing from the Letters and Sounds HFW List. 

I, the, no, put, of
is, to, go, into, pull
as, his, he, she, buses
we, me, be, push, was
her, my, you, they, all
are, ball, tall, when, what
oh, their, people, Mr, Mrs
your, ask, should, would, could
asked, house, mouse, water, want
very, please, once, any, many
again, who, whole, where, two
here, sugar, friend, because,
a, said, for, that, with
there, out, this, have, like,
some, so, then, were, little, mum
one, them, do, down, it’s,
see, look, looked
don’t, come, will, back, from
children, him, get, just, now
came, about, got, old, too
by, day, made, time, I’m
called, off, saw, make 


 

• Print each word, Code Mapped® on one side and regular text on the other

• Number the words in sequence and then laminate

• Create a playlist of the words on YouTube so they can be practised regularly (we are creating single-word videos)

• Learn the words using The Spelling Routine