A large body of research indicates that letter-sound knowledge is essential in the learning to read process. Learners who struggle to decode in earlier grades have trouble ‘learning to read’ and eventually ‘reading to learn’ from Grade 3 onwards. Thus, this study explored learners’ English letter-sound knowledge at the beginning of Grade one in two public schools in Johannesburg, South Africa. Data reported in this study was collected through a baseline assessment of learners’ letter-name and letter-sound knowledge in English First Additional Language (EFAL). The Early Grade Reading Assessment tools were used as a guideline to carry out the assessments and the Early Grade Reading Assessment benchmarks were used as a guide to determine whether learners are meeting minimum benchmarks. The overall findings from this study revealed that learners are entering Grade one with limited letter-sound knowledge despite attending Grade R (Reception - the year before formal schooling). Results, from school A, where the learners’ home language and the language of instruction is an African language, show that less than 4% of the learners are reaching the minimum letter-sound benchmark. In contrast, School B, where English is both the language of instruction and often spoken at home, 34% of the learners are reaching the minimum letter-sound benchmark. The influence of learners’ home languages emerged as a primary issue, as some learners transferred their knowledge of letter-sounds from their home language to EFAL. This led to instances where they struggled to distinguish between letter sounds (phonetic systems) in their home language and those in EFAL. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of alphabet instruction during the Grade R year. Future research is recommended to investigate Grade R teachers’ pedagogies in classrooms around South Africa.

Keywords: Reading, Letter-sound Knowledge, English First Additional language, Home Language, African Languages, Early Grade Reading Assessment.