Stage 1

Stage 1 marks the beginning of the TICK literacy journey and is ideal for absolute beginners or remedial learners with limited alphabet sound knowledge. Students who are already confident with most alphabet phonemes and graphemes may begin at Stage 2.

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In Stage 1, students develop secure alphabet phoneme knowledge alongside correct letter formation, while building essential blending and segmenting skills. These foundations support early reading and spelling, beginning with simple CVC words, progressing to VCC, CVCC, and CCVC words, and including a small set of common heart words.

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Key features of the TICK programme include introducing alphabet graphemes based on letter formation rather than word building, and intentionally keeping introduction and application separate to reduce cognitive load and support long-term mastery.

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For Stage 1, our scope and sequence, from left to right, is as follows.​