About this course
POPAT (Programme of Phoneme Awareness Training) is a structured intervention that develops children's awareness of speech sounds before introducing letters. By learning to hear, identify, analyse and manipulate sounds within words, children build the essential foundations for reading, writing and spelling.
POPAT is particularly effective for learners with literacy difficulties or speech and language needs. Through practical, step-by-step activities, it strengthens listening, attention and phonological awareness skills, helping children make stronger connections between sounds and letters as literacy develops.
This is a 3-day course and sessions will be held on:
- 21st September
- 29th September
- 7th October
Sessions are held 13:00 - 16:00 and all sessions must be attended.
Course aims
Participants will:
- Understand the principles and structure of POPAT.
- Explore the role of phonological and phonemic awareness in literacy development.
- Learn practical strategies to develop sound discrimination, blending and segmenting skills.
- Gain confidence in delivering POPAT interventions in individual and small-group settings.
- Understand how POPAT supports learners with speech, language, communication and literacy difficulties.
- Explore the progression from phoneme awareness to reading, writing and spelling.
Who should attend?
- Teachers
- Teaching Assistants
- Additional Learning Needs (ALN) practitioners
Ideal for those supporting learners with difficulties in speech, language, communication, reading, writing or spelling.
Course content
- Phonological and phonemic awareness
- Listening and auditory discrimination skills
- Identifying and segmenting sounds in words
- Practical POPAT activities and resources
- Moving from speech sounds to letter-sound correspondence
- Supporting spelling and independent writing
Outcomes
Participants will leave with the knowledge, skills and confidence to implement POPAT effectively, supporting learners' early literacy development and improving confidence in reading, writing and spelling.