Best Phonics Classes in Singapore (2027): 10 Centres Compared

The best phonics class depends on where your child is stuck. For a step-by-step systematic phonics course with every fee published, Little Readers in Hougang sets out each stage, from short vowels to diphthongs, and the price of every lesson. For a K2 child who still cannot blend sounds, Julia Gabriel Centre's Reading Stars is a 12-week intervention built for that gap. For the bridge into P1, I Can Read's Headstart to Primary 1 and Jan & Elly's ReadWrite class are designed for K2. For Jolly Phonics, Curious Thoughts Academy names it as its method. For a very small K2 group, Ancourage Academy caps classes at 6. For the most branches, Mind Stretcher lists 29 centres plus online and I Can Read lists 23 centres. In the east, School of Concepts has Kinex and Our Tampines Hub. The lowest published fee per hour is Mind Stretcher, at about S$29 to S$38 for K1 and K2 Phonics and Reading.

How we chose these centres

We started from the centres that rank on Google for "phonics classes Singapore", "phonics for kids Singapore", "reading class for K2" and "English phonics centre", and the names that recur on the top comparison pages. From those we kept centres that met four tests.

1. Phonics or early reading is a named programme. Each one runs a class for K1, K2 or P1 that teaches letter sounds, blending or beginning reading, not only general English.
2. Publishes its programme. Levels, ages and what is taught are on its own site, so you can check them.
3. Active for 2027. Each lists current branches, 2027 fees or a current schedule.
4. A spread of needs and places. We wanted systematic phonics courses, P1 bridging classes, small groups, every region and a range of prices.

Some well-known names are missing because we could not open an official page for them on 8 November 2026, so we had nothing current to quote. The order below is not a ranking. Where a centre does not publish a fact, we say "not published". We left out Google ratings because we could not read a dated rating for every centre from a source we opened. We also left out time-limited offers and quote standard fees only.

The 10 classes compared

Our per-hour figure is an estimate. We divide the published fee by the number of lessons and then by the lesson length. Fees are as published, and we note GST where the centre states it.

A class hour is shared with a group, so these figures are not like for like with a one-to-one hour. Registration fees, deposits and conflicts between a centre's own pages are in each entry below.

The 10 classes in detail

I Can Read

What is distinctive. A reading specialist that marks letters with diacritical symbols in its early levels, so a child can work out how an unfamiliar word sounds. Champion Readers runs over six levels in about a year. Levels 1 to 3 use the markings, and Levels 4 to 6 remove them and move to fluency, comprehension, grammar and writing. Before that, Reading Foundations covers pre-reading. Headstart to Primary 1 is for K2, and Primary English runs from P1 to P6. Placement is by an English assessment, not by age.

Suits: a child who needs a structured route from first sounds to reading books, with a branch near home. Less suited to: parents who want fees and class size before they visit, as neither is published.

Fees as published: not published.

Centres and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): the homepage says 23 centres. Its centre list names 22: Waterway Point (Punggol), Rivervale Mall (Sengkang), AMK Hub (Ang Mo Kio), Heartland Mall (Kovan), Wisteria Mall (Yishun), Sun Plaza (Sembawang), Woodlands Civic Centre (Woodlands), Tampines Plaza 1 (Tampines), Vidacity (Pasir Ris), Djitsun Mall (Bedok), Parkway Parade (Marine Parade), Jurong Gateway Road (Jurong East), SAFRA Jurong (Boon Lay), West Coast Plaza, Hillion Mall (Bukit Panjang), HillV2 (Hillview), United Square (Novena), City Square Mall (Farrer Park), Lorong 2 Toa Payoh (Toa Payoh), Central Plaza (Tiong Bahru), Alexis on Alexandra Road and Dunearn Village in Bukit Timah. The centre says to check which programmes each branch runs.

Website: sg.icanread.asia

Ask at the trial: What does a term cost, and how many children are in the class? How do you move a child off the diacritical marks so they read normal print? Which level would my child start at after the assessment?

Jan & Elly

What is distinctive. An English school with three phonics levels by age: Phonics Readiness (ages 4 to 5, N2 to K1), Phonics Intermediate (5 to 6, K1 to K2) and Phonics Advanced (6 to 7, K2 to P1). Lessons follow a three-step curriculum of letter sounds, blending and decoding. After Phonics Advanced, the ReadWrite class for K2 and P1 builds sight words and spelling, fluency and expression, comprehension and short simple sentences. A P1 child who needs reinforcement can join Phonics Advanced.

Suits: a child who would benefit from staying with one school from first sounds to P1 reading and writing. Less suited to: families in the west, or parents who want fees up front.

Fees as published: not published.

Branches and nearest MRT: Bukit Timah Plaza, Greenwich V in Seletar, iMall at Marine Parade Central (Marine Parade), Toa Payoh Community Club and The Woodleigh Mall (Woodleigh). Street addresses for the others were not on the pages we read.

Website: jan-elly.com

Ask at the trial: What is the fee and lesson length for each phonics level? How many children are in the class now? When does my child move from Phonics Advanced to ReadWrite?

Julia Gabriel Centre

What is distinctive. A speech, drama and literacy centre with two classes for this age. Let's Read & Write for K1 and K2 uses fiction and non-fiction texts, and children begin to blend sounds and form words, and learn tenses, punctuation and simple story writing. Reading Stars is a 12-week literacy intervention for K2 children with gaps in letter-sound knowledge and blending. Its stated outcomes are phonetic recovery, sight word recognition, confident decoding and reading for meaning before P1.

Suits: a K2 child who has fallen behind on blending and needs a short, focused course before P1. Less suited to: a child who already reads fluently, or parents who want fees up front.

Fees as published: not published. The Reading Stars page links to a reading assessment at no charge.

Centres and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): Forum on Orchard Road (Orchard), Tampines Mall (Tampines), Greenwich V on Seletar Road, The Woodleigh Mall (Woodleigh) and New Bahru on Kim Yam Road. The pages do not say which centres run each class.

Website: juliagabriel.com

Ask at the trial: Which centre runs Reading Stars, and when does the next 12-week run start? What does it cost? How do you decide whether my child needs Reading Stars or Let's Read & Write?

MindChamps Reading

What is distinctive. A reading programme for ages 3 to 7 that teaches through its own Say & Sing Phonics method. Children are placed at Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced after a literacy assessment. Each lesson is 2 hours, longer than most here, and each level runs for 10 weeks.

Suits: a young child who learns well through songs and needs time to settle in a longer lesson. Less suited to: a child who tires after an hour, or parents who want fees and class size before they visit.

Fees as published: not published. The programme page offers a literacy assessment at no charge.

Centres and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): Paragon on Orchard Road (Orchard), Holland Road Shopping Centre (Holland Village), Junction 10 (Bukit Panjang), Midview City on Sin Ming Lane (near Bishan, as the centre states), Nordcom II in Woodlands, Pasir Ris Mall (Pasir Ris), Sengkang Grand Mall (Sengkang), Lorong 6 Toa Payoh (Toa Payoh) and Westgate (Jurong East). The centres page calls the programme Reading & Writing, while the programme page names Say & Sing Phonics, so ask which class your branch runs.

Website: mindchamps.org

Ask at the trial: What does a 10-week level cost? How many children share a teacher? How is the 2 hours split between phonics, reading and play?

Little Readers

What is distinctive. A phonics and reading centre founded in 1993 that publishes its whole course. It uses what it calls a systematic phonics approach in three levels. Beginner covers short vowels and three-letter words (up to 12 months). Intermediate covers digraphs and blends (6 months). Advanced covers long vowels, r-controlled vowels and diphthongs (6 months). The full course takes about 1 to 2 years, depending on age and ability.

Suits: a child aged 4 to 8 who needs phonics taught in a fixed order, and parents who want every cost in writing. Less suited to: families far from Hougang who do not want online lessons, as there is one centre.

Fees as published: at Hougang, S$42 per 75-minute lesson, or S$462 for an 11-lesson term. Registration is S$20 and the deposit is S$100, refundable with a month's notice. Online lessons are 1 hour, S$30 for the 6 pm class and S$35 for the 7 pm class, paid monthly. New students can take a 1-month trial of 4 lessons for S$168. GST is not mentioned. Classes are 5 to 7 at the centre and up to 6 online.

Branch and nearest MRT: The Midtown, 1187 Upper Serangoon Road (near Hougang MRT, as the centre states), plus online.

Website: littlereaderssg.com

Ask at the trial: Which level will my child start at after the assessment? What happens if they need longer than 12 months at Beginner? How do you teach the common words that do not follow the rules?

School of Concepts

What is distinctive. A phonics and literacy centre with five named stages by age. Beginner (3 to 4) teaches letter sounds and blending into three-letter words. Intermediate I (5 to 6) moves to short sentences with words of up to four letters. Intermediate II (6 to 7) adds phrases, single paragraphs and longer words with several syllables. Primary Level English (7 to 12) moves to full passages with comprehension. Its overview describes the journey as sound discovery, letter and sound links, blending and segmenting, reading fluency and independent reading.

Suits: an east-side family that wants a clear picture of what each stage teaches. Less suited to: parents who need class size or fees before they visit.

Fees as published: not published.

Branches and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): Kinex on Tanjong Katong Road (Paya Lebar) and Our Tampines Hub on Tampines Walk (Tampines).

Website: schoolofconcepts.sg

Ask at the trial: What is the fee per term and lesson length? How many children are in each class? How do you check that my child is ready to move to the next stage?

Lorna Whiston

What is distinctive. A long-running English enrichment brand whose Fun with Phonics programme for ages 4 to 6 runs in three levels, Ready, Steady and Go. Lessons are multi-sensory and use games, puppets, puzzles, stories and songs. Children are placed after an assessment by the school.

Suits: a young child who learns best through play and needs a gentle start. Less suited to: a K2 child who needs a fast catch-up before P1, or parents who want fees up front.

Fees as published: not published. The fees page lists preschool fees only.

Enrichment centres and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): United Square on Thomson Road (Novena), Greenwich on Yio Chu Kang Road (weekends only) and Marine Parade Road (Marine Parade). The site shows two Marine Parade addresses, and the phonics page does not say which centres run the class.

Website: lornawhiston.com

Ask at the trial: Which centre runs Fun with Phonics at my child's level? What is the fee and class size? How long does a child usually spend at each level?

Curious Thoughts Academy

What is distinctive. A small centre that teaches with Jolly Phonics, a synthetic phonics programme, and runs Jolly Phonics training for teachers and parents. Classes are grouped by birth year, with Basic (born 2023), Intermediate (born 2022) and Advanced (born 2021) classes of 75 minutes. It also offers a 30-minute one-to-one reading assessment for six-year-olds. The centre states that it is the only centre in Singapore trained in both Jolly Phonics and Orton-Gillingham, a structured method used with children who have dyslexia.

Suits: parents who want Jolly Phonics by name, or who want a teacher trained in structured literacy methods. Less suited to: families outside the city centre, as there is one location.

Fees as published: a trial class is S$53.18 for 75 minutes. The regular term fee is not published on the pages we could open.

Location: Middle Road, as shown on its booking page (our reading: near Bencoolen and Bugis MRT). Other listings show a Waterloo Street address, so confirm before you go.

Website: Curious Thoughts booking page

Ask at the trial: What is the term fee after the trial? How do you tell whether a child needs a structured literacy approach rather than a standard class? Which class fits a child born in 2021 in 2027?

Ancourage Academy

What is distinctive. A tuition centre whose K2 English class is a small group of 3 to 6 children in a 1-hour weekly lesson. It moves children from reading word by word to reading smooth sentences, with phonics and blending, spelling common words, understanding short stories and writing sentences with correct punctuation. Primary lessons are 1.5 hours.

Suits: a K2 child who is shy in large groups, or who needs close attention as they move into P1 English. Less suited to: a three or four-year-old, as the reading class shown is for K2.

Fees as published: by quote, in packages of 4, 12 or 24 lessons, with a lower rate for larger packages. The centre says it charges no registration, material or administrative fees. Deposit terms depend on how you pay.

Branches and nearest MRT (our reading of the address): Bishan Street 11 (Bishan) and Vista Point on Woodlands Drive 44 (Woodlands South).

Website: ancourage.academy

Ask at the trial: What is the per-lesson rate for each package? How much of each lesson is phonics and how much is reading? What happens to the deposit if we stop early?

Mind Stretcher

What is distinctive. A large tuition chain with a K1 and K2 English Phonics and Reading class and a separate K2 English and Mathematics P1 Preparatory class. Its 2027 fees page lists every level, and it has the most branches of any centre here.

Suits: families who want a published fee, a branch close to home and one centre from K1 through primary school. Less suited to: parents who want a phonics specialist with a detailed stage-by-stage syllabus, as the class pages give few details on phonics content.

Fees as published (2027, GST included): K1 and K2 Phonics and Reading is S$228.90 a month for 4 weekday lessons (S$286.13 in a 5-week month) and S$250.70 at weekends. P1 and P2 English is S$250.70 a month on weekdays. Registration is S$76.30, and the deposit is 5 weeks of fees per subject. The fees page says each class is 2 hours, but the K2 page lists Phonics and Reading at 1.5 hours a week, so our estimate is a range of about S$29 to S$38 an hour. A 1-week trial is S$107.91.

Branches: 29 centres plus online, with 10 in the North-East, 8 in the West, 4 in the North, 4 in Central and 3 in the East, including Bishan, Clementi, Hougang, Marine Parade, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Toa Payoh, Westgate, Woodlands and Yishun.

Website: mindstretcher.com

Ask at the trial: Is the K2 Phonics and Reading class 1.5 or 2 hours a week? How many children are in the class? Should my child take Phonics and Reading or the P1 Preparatory class in K2?

What phonics covers and what P1 expects

Phonics teaches a child that letters stand for sounds, and that those sounds can be blended to read a word and split apart to spell one. Every centre above teaches some version of this. Here is what to look for, and what your child's primary school will do from P1.

The usual stages of synthetic phonics

Synthetic phonics teaches the sounds first and then has children blend them into words. Programmes differ in their order and names, but most move through similar steps. The published stages at Little Readers and School of Concepts follow this pattern.

Decoding and sight words

Decoding means sounding out a word from its letters. Sight words are common words a child learns to recognise at a glance, often because they do not follow the usual rules, such as "said" or "the". A good class teaches both. Decoding lets a child read words they have never seen, and quick recognition of common words frees attention for meaning. Be wary of a class that leans only on memorising whole words, as a child taught that way may guess from the first letter or the picture when a new word appears.

What MOE's syllabus says about early reading

MOE's English Language Syllabus 2020 for primary schools applies to every cohort that started P1 from 2020, including the 2027 P1 cohort. Three points matter for a K1 or K2 parent.

• Phonics is taught at the start of P1. The syllabus lists "attention to phonemic awareness, phonics and early literacy skills at the start of Primary 1" as part of the foundation, to build towards reading fluency and comprehension.
• The P1 and P2 reading goal is accuracy and fluency. For lower primary the syllabus aims for beginning reading that achieves accuracy and fluency through word recognition, with a positive attitude. It defines fluency as reading where decoding is relatively effortless, so attention can go to meaning.
• Reading for enjoyment counts. The syllabus promotes extensive reading. In a February 2026 parliamentary reply MOE said reading widely and for enjoyment is important for language development, alongside direct teaching of grammar and vocabulary.

So a child does not need to read fluently before P1. School begins with sounds. What helps most is a child who can hear sounds in words, knows many letter sounds and enjoys books.

STELLAR in your child's classroom

STELLAR, short for Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading, is the English programme used in primary schools. MOE's own STELLAR pages no longer load, so this description comes from a government primary school's English page on MOE's school domain. In the Shared Book Approach, the teacher reads a big-format book with the class and then explicitly teaches language from it, including concepts of print, phonics and grammar. In the Modified Language Experience Approach, children do an activity linked to the book, such as drama or craft, and then talk and write about it. Children also rotate through literacy stations planned for different ability groups. Phonics at school is taught through stories, so a class at home or at a centre that also reads real books with your child fits well with it.

Signs a child may need reading support

Every child learns to read at a different pace. These signs are worth raising with the kindergarten or form teacher, especially if several appear together and last for months.

At school, MOE identifies children for its Learning Support Programme for English at the start of P1. It is taught by trained teachers in small groups of 8 to 10, for half an hour a day, during P1 and P2. Children who still need help after P2 can join the Reading Remediation Programme in P3 and P4. If your child is offered a place, it is early help, not a label. If you suspect a specific difficulty such as dyslexia, speak to the school, which can tell you about its screening and support.

Centre, home tutor or online?

For a preschool child, a class is the route, as TSS does not tutor below P1. Once your child is in primary school, a one-to-one tutor costs more per hour than most classes but spends every minute on your child's reading. Our pricing page has the full TSS rate card.

By area

How to choose

At the trial, check these five things:

One warning sign is a class built mostly on memorising lists of whole words. Another is pressure to finish a whole programme before P1, since MOE's syllabus starts phonics at the beginning of P1. A centre teaching 10 or more students at a time should appear in MOE's private schools search, though registration is not a mark of quality.

If your child is starting P1 and needs help with reading, tell us their level and what they find hard. Our P1 English tuition page explains how we match tutors for early readers.