Jolly Learning

Welcome to Jolly Learning

Helping Every Child Discover the Joy of Reading

Learning to read is one of the most important milestones in a child's life. At Jolly Learning, we create joyful, structured and practical literacy resources that help teachers, families and children build confidence from the very first sounds.

For more than 30 years, our programmes have supported classrooms, homes and communities around the world.

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  • 150+ countries

    Trusted globally

  • 30+ years

    Supporting literacy

  • Millions

    Of children reached

  • 10M+ downloads

    Across our apps

Our Journey

Every milestone tells the story of children, teachers and schools discovering the power of literacy.

  1. 1977

    The foundations of Jolly Phonics are laid. At Woods Loke Primary School in Suffolk, teacher Sue Lloyd and her colleagues were pioneering a new approach to teaching reading. Building on their classroom experience and research, they developed synthetic phonics methods that helped more children become confident readers and writers. This early work would go on to form the foundations of Jolly Phonics.

  2. 1987

    Jolly Learning was officially founded as an independent educational publisher, with a commitment to creating practical and engaging resources that help children learn.

  3. 1989

    A partnership that would transform phonics teaching. Sue Lloyd meets publisher Chris Jolly, who recognises the potential of the synthetic phonics approach she has developed through years of classroom teaching and research. Their collaboration marks the beginning of Jolly Phonics, bringing Sue's proven teaching methods to classrooms far beyond Suffolk.

  4. 1992

    Jolly Phonics is born. The Phonics Handbook introduced the multisensory approach that would become Jolly Phonics, helping children develop the essential skills needed to read and write.

  5. 1995

    The first Jolly Phonics conference sparks global growth. The first Jolly Phonics conference marks an important milestone in bringing educators together to share knowledge, experiences and best practice. This helps lay the foundations for a growing international training community, with passionate educators and trainers championing Jolly Phonics and helping the programme reach classrooms around the world.

  6. 2000

    Expanding the literacy journey. Building on the success of Jolly Phonics, new Grammar resources were developed to support children as they progressed into spelling, grammar and punctuation, extending the Jolly approach through the primary years.

  7. 2006

    Reaching more children around the world. Jolly Phonics continued to expand internationally, supported by a growing community of teachers and trainers. Through initiatives including Jolly Futures and partnerships with organisations such as Universal Learning Solutions, the programme has also supported large-scale literacy projects around the world.

  8. 2011

    Recognised as a validated SSP programme. Jolly Phonics was included on the Department for Education's list of validated systematic synthetic phonics programmes, recognising that it meets the DfE's criteria for an effective SSP programme.

  9. 2019

    A new approach to learning English. Jolly English extended the Jolly approach to early English-language learning, helping young children develop vocabulary, listening and speaking skills, phonemic awareness and confidence communicating in English.

  10. 2022

    Bringing Jolly teaching into the digital classroom. Jolly Classroom brought structured lessons, teaching resources and assessment together in a digital platform designed to support whole-class teaching.

  11. 2024

    Recognising a contribution to education. Jolly Learning founder Chris Jolly was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), recognising his contribution to education and decades spent supporting literacy teaching around the world.

  12. Today

    Print, digital and a broader approach to literacy. With developments including Jolly Classroom and Jolly Literacy, Jolly Learning continues to evolve, reaching learners in over 150 countries.

A Family-Run Business With a Global Story

For more than 30 years, Jolly Learning has been helping children build strong foundations in reading and writing.

Founded by Chris Jolly OBE, Jolly Learning has grown from an independent family-run publisher into a global education company, with our programmes now supporting teachers and children around the world.

While our reach has grown, we remain a family-run business with the same belief at our heart: that effective, engaging teaching can give every child the confidence to become a reader and writer.

Discover how Chris founded Jolly Learning, the story behind Jolly Phonics and how an innovative approach to teaching literacy grew to reach classrooms across the globe.

Meet Chris Jolly

Our Purpose

Everything we do begins with one purpose: to help every child become a confident reader and writer.

We believe literacy changes lives. When children learn to read and write with confidence, they gain access to every part of education and a lifelong love of learning.

Our purpose is to make that journey clearer, more joyful and more achievable for children, teachers and families.

Our Values

Our purpose shapes what we do. Our values shape how we do it.

We Believe Every Child Can Succeed

Every child learns differently. That's why we create engaging, multisensory programmes that help children build confidence while discovering the joy of reading and writing.

Multisensory phonics

We Believe Great Teachers Deserve Great Resources

Teachers change lives every day.

Our role is to support them with practical resources, professional development and innovative digital tools that make literacy teaching enjoyable and effective.

Professional development tools

We Believe Literacy Has No Borders

Every child deserves access to high-quality literacy education.

Today our programmes are used in classrooms across more than 150 countries, supporting learners from a wide range of cultures, languages and educational settings.

Used in 150+ countries

We Believe in Continual Innovation

Education is constantly evolving.

From trusted classroom resources to digital learning platforms like Jolly Classroom, we continue to develop new ways to support educators while staying true to the teaching principles that have guided us from the beginning.

10M+ App downloads

We Believe in Working Together

The best educational outcomes come through collaboration.

We work closely with schools, ministries, distributors, literacy organisations and educators around the world to create lasting impact for children.

Global partnerships

The Reading Journey

Every Child’s Reading Journey Is Different

Every child’s journey into reading is unique. Some children race ahead, some need more time, and many need different types of support along the way.

Jolly Learning is designed to meet children wherever they are, with resources that help teachers build strong foundations and keep learning joyful, structured and purposeful.

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Jolly Futures

Transforming literacy through sustainable, large-scale education projects.

Jolly Futures is our social mission programme, working in partnership with Universal Learning Solutions (ULS), governments and education partners to bring effective literacy teaching to children in communities around the world. Through teacher training, locally supported implementation and access to Jolly Phonics resources, these projects are designed to create lasting change within education systems.

 

From initial pilots to large-scale government programmes reaching thousands of schools, Jolly Futures demonstrates what can be achieved when evidence-based teaching, committed educators and strong partnerships come together to give more children the opportunity to become confident readers and writers.

 

Discover Jolly Futures

More Than Books

From classroom resources and decodable readers to apps, online training and digital teaching tools, Jolly Learning supports phonics and literacy practice across school and home.

Discover Jolly Classroom
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