Back

About us

Funics was founded by Rachael and Helen who have always had a passion for teaching and caring for young children. The business was born out of many years of experience and a desire to assist and educate both young people and their carers. We wanted to bring a sense of the fun and excitement of early language learning alongside skills which will genuinely benefit their reading and writing journey before starting formal school.

What is Phonics?

These days everyone has heard of phonics, but lots of people don’t feel confident in knowing what it means!

 
Many schools and nurseries talk about phonics and send home sounds for children to learn, but often parents and carers can feel daunted by how to help their child in the best way.

 

A Little More About Phonics

So here’s the short version….

Phonics is a method of learning how to read and write. It links the sounds we make to the letters (or groups of letters) we see.

 

Image
Image
Image
Image

And the Long Version….

There have been many methods used to teach children to read and write over the years. Today there is a general appreciation that a variety of approaches allow the most children to access learning. Our experience with our own children has shown this too! During the 1980’s and 1990’s there was a gradual move away from ‘sight vocabulary’ (just learning to read because you could recognise the word) and an integration of phonic skills which gave lots of children more confidence to both read and write effectively. The phonic programs which are now used in schools and nurseries are based on understanding how individual and groups of letter sounds are made. This allows us to put those sounds together (blending) to read words. It also allows us to split words apart using those phonic sounds (segmenting). When we combine these skills with an understanding of what the letter sound looks like (the grapheme) we can write things down!

However, there are loads of skills that need to be secure before children are ready to get down to the specifics of learning to read and write. That’s where Funics fits in. We look at the pre-skills children need to master and also talk to parents and carers about why these are really important for young children.

 

Our Story

It was just a couple of years ago when a text conversation started which resulted in Funics being created!
One of those random “I’ve had an idea” moments started a spark which began … conversations and planning … and excitement … and enthusiasm
and finally a real, live business!

We’ve been a kind of partnership for years really,  first of all teaching together in early years classrooms, then sharing the challenges of our own children and now building a new venture together. Both of us have shared a passion for the children we have taught and the families we have connected with. But we have both seen the challenges that many families face and felt that there could be earlier and more successful ways to help them. Funics has been born out of the desire to help both children and carers understand how early language skills develop and how to nurture these in the most constructive ways.

We’d love it if you could become part of the Funics adventure too!
Rachael and Helen

Meet Our Team

The Funics Family is growing! We love working together to bring lots of fun filled and educational activities for you and your children. Here are the people who make up our team so far…

Image
Rachael Hartless
Founder
My journey from Au Pair to experienced teacher, inspired by the challenges of raising my own daughter, led to founding Funics to help children and carers bridge gaps in early learning.
Image
Helen Downes
Founder
From teaching and photography to storytelling and choir conducting, my varied journey has led to co-founding Funics, where passion and expertise meet to inspire families.
Image
Pam Gilmore
Teacher
I trained locally, gaining specialisms in PE and Early Years. During my early career, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of a team and creating a successful Early Years (EY) unit.

Happy Parents

We absolutely love Funics. There's so much for both child and parent to learn; as well as lots of fun. Funics has helped me as a parent know how to support my child with their learning as they prepare for school. My older son loved it and now I've just started taking my younger son. I can't recommend this class highly enough.
Image

 

Sally

United Kingdom

I have recently started attending these sessions with my daughter, they are really engaging and she is learning so much whilst also having great fun. She really looks forward to attending funics on a Friday and I know these sessions will help her in her preparation for School. Highly recommend !
Image

 

Sarah

Sevenoaks

Me and my daughter absolutely love our Funics classes. They are both educational and extremely fun. My daughter loves the activities we do so much that we usually have to come home and repeat them straight away! Helen and Rachel are so welcoming and friendly, we highly recommend these classes to everyone!

Image

 

Holly

Gloucester

I have been taking my son to Funics for two years. It has been the most engaging, fun and laid back class I have ever taken him to and is the only one I have stuck with. He learns through play, and is being taught pre-school basics such as sitting and listening, following instructions, and the activities are all based around development for learning to read and write. Helen and Rachel are considered as part of our extended family and I can't wait to take my daughter when she is old enough!

Image

 

Chrissy

Rochdale