Copyright © The British Psychological Society Reproduction in any form (including the internet) is prohibited without prior permission from the Society Evidence for the effectiveness of the Early Literacy Support programme Peter J. Hatcher 1 *, Kristina Goetz 1 , Margaret J. Snowling 1 , Charles Hulme 1 , Simon Gibbs 2 and Glynnis Smith 2 1 University of York, UK 2 North Yorkshire County Council Education Service, UK Background. It is widely recognized that effective interventions for poor reading involve training in phoneme awareness and letter-sound knowledge, linked in the context of reading books. From the applied perspective, it is important to gather data on the effectiveness of different forms of implementation of literacy support within this framework. Aim. We evaluate the effectiveness of the UK Early Literacy Support (ELS) programme (Department for Education and Skills [DfES], 2001) relative to a programme of Reading Intervention based on ‘sound linkage’ (Hatcher, Hulme, & Ellis, 1994). Sample. The sample comprised 128 6-year-old children, from 16 primary schools in a Local Education Authority (LEA) in the north of England. Method. The children were nominated as in need of special help by their class teachers and allocated to one of the two programmes. Results. After controlling for a difference in spelling ability at the start of the intervention, it was found that both groups of children made equivalent and significant gains in reading and spelling that were maintained at follow-up. The standardized scores were in the average range. Regression analyses confirmed the importance of initial reading ability as well as letter identification, phoneme manipulation, and sound linkage in predicting progress in learning to read and to spell. Conclusion. The ELS programme provides a cost effective method of boosting 6-year-old children’s reading to an average level. It is now accepted that there is a strong association between early phonological skills and reading attainment (Blachman, 1997; Goswami & Bryant, 1990; National Reading Panel, 2000; Rack, Hulme, & Snowling, 1993; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987) and that training in phonological awareness is most effective in enhancing reading acquisition *Correspondence should be addressed to Peter J. Hatcher, Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO1 5DD, UK (e-mail: p.hatcher@psych.york.ac.uk). The British Psychological Society 351 British Journal of Educational Psychology (2006), 76, 351–367 q 2006 The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk DOI:10.1348/000709905X39170