Sophie
Meet the
Co-Founders and Directors
We are business women, mothers and educators with a passion for English and a mission to make high quality teaching accessible to all.
Suzi
Sophie
Griffiths
Co-Founder & Director of Business Development
Hi, my name is Sophie and as a British mum of two children, I understand the importance of providing a happy and healthy learning environment to help your children reach their potential.
When we moved as a family to live in a new country, the opportunity for our children to learn a second language by immersing them in this wonderful new culture was priceless! But I didn’t want that to be at the cost of their English education. In today's world, speaking English alone is not enough, and it is equally important to learn how to read and write English too.
​
With experience of the British education system and having worked with the British Government, I know phonics has been proven to be the best way of teaching children how to read and write successfully. It was important for me my children were taught by native English speakers, so when I was unable to find a suitable programme, we created The Phonics School!
​
Not only do my children attend our programme, but we've made it easily accessible to everyone, no matter where they live. I am passionate about helping children reach their potential and believe mastering the English language can open doors throughout people’s lives. The time to learn is as a child - let's create brighter futures for our children.
As the spouse of a travelling diplomat my girls and I are living away from home, surrounded by amazing children with multiple languages under their belt. We have the most international playdates with friends from all around the world and it is striking that no matter the nationalities represented or the age of the children playing (or the parents chatting) - the common language is always English. I believe passionately in spreading this gift of reading, writing and speaking in English to children wherever they are in the world.
​
Together with my (amazing!) business partner we have sought to find a way to fill the need that we see for high quality Phonemic teaching of reading and writing in English. In the UK phonics is the way all children learn to read and write, but this has not yet caught on in the way English is taught as a foreign language. There is also not yet a suitable way for children who do not attend mainstream school to benefit from this most proven and effective way to learn reading and writing.
​
I have taught in State and Independent schools in the UK and also International schools overseas before I had my children. Now I’m so excited to be able to bring the best of Phonics teaching used in traditional classrooms into the online world to share with a much wider audience. It has been the most amazing journey to bring The Phonics School to life, I look forward to sharing our vision with you.
Suzi
Stillwell
Co-Founder & Director of Teaching
Hi, I’m Suzi, I hail from South East England and I am a Primary School teacher by profession, an educator at heart and most importantly a mother to two young girls - such a privilege.
