Star International School, Mirdif, proudly is focused on innovation as it becomes one of the first schools in Dubai to implement the award-winning Monster Phonics and Superhero Spelling programmes. These groundbreaking initiatives, recognised with the prestigious GESS Award for Best School Resource, signify the school’s commitment to revolutionising children’s reading and phonics education.
Monster Phonics is a programme for children of primary school age that uses colours to help them learn and recall spellings. It also allows educators to track students’ progress and assess their improvement, whereas Superhero Spellings is a fun, step-by-step program that naturally builds on Monster Phonics to help KS2 students become proficient spellers. It has pre-made materials to save teacher workload and encourages students to actively learn spelling rules in a fun and engaging manner.
Star International School, Mirdif hosted an event designed for senior leaders in schools, where they had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to delve into the key traits that distinguish schools with exceptional reading. The seminar was led by Ian Connors, a former head teacher responsible for primary curriculum at one of the UK’s largest primary-focused Multi-Academy Trusts. His important observations sparked lively debate among educators and parents who would be using these critical approaches to improve children’s literacy skills.
Neal Oates, principal of Star International School, Mirdif said: “We are delighted to have hosted these pivotal events, which demonstrate our dedication to providing the innovative educational practices for both our staff and students. These sessions not only allowed us to investigate the underlying characteristics of exceptional reading schools, but also to observe the transformational power of programmes such as Monster Phonics and Superhero Spelling. We think that by implementing these essential techniques, we can significantly improve our students’ reading and phonics skills, putting them on a path to academic greatness and a lifelong love of learning.”
During the event the educators in attendance had the privilege of witnessing live demonstrations by Ian Connors showcasing the effectiveness of Monster Phonics and Superhero Spelling. Connors, offering valuable insights, illustrated how Monster Phonics makes phonics learning enjoyable and engaging, while Superhero Spelling takes an exciting approach to enhance children’s spelling skills. These events provided transformative insights, underlining the potential revolution in how children approach reading and phonics.
Star International School, Mirdif provides a bespoke UK Curriculum to students from FS1 to Year 12. The school’s focus on individualized learning ensures the curriculum goes beyond, by promoting a sense of awe and wonder in students through amazing learning and a research-informed approach to teaching.
