Learn Phonics from Curious Thoughts

Curious Thoughts Academy (CTA) is a Social Enterprise funded by the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprises (raiSE). We are a non-profit learning centre specialising in Phonics with Art and Drama. We have a “Pay-it-forward” system where every 3 paying students from the public helps pay for a beneficiary’s phonics or english lessons.

We have been featured in many media platforms such as Channel 8’s Morning Express, 93.8FM's Talking Books with Michelle Martin, The Straits Times and The New York Times Style Magazine (T Magazine).

Our Social Enterprise and Charity

Curious Thoughts Academy(CTA) is a social enterprise supported by raiSE Singapore. It was established in 2016 and is a learning centre dedicated to helping all children, aged 2 to 16 years old, learn English effectively. CTA believes that no children, regardless of income status or family background, should be denied the ability to learn. Hence, for every 3 paying students, CTA hopes to provide a child from a low income family an opportunity to enrol in our programmes free of charge. Currently, CTA has over 400 students enrolled in its school.

CTA’s curriculum revolves around Jolly Phonics (JP). Research has shown that synthetic phonics is the most effective way to teach English. This differs from the “whole word” approach that many schools in Singapore use. The “whole word” method relies a lot on memorisation while synthetic phonics focuses on teaching a child the tools they need to tackle the English language. JP is the most scientifically validated literacy programme in the market. Furthermore, it is fun and child-centered. With actions and songs for each of the 42 letter sounds, the multi-sensory method has proven itself to be effective and engaging. JP also caters to children of various learning needs while “whole word” methodologies heavily disadvantage children with poor memories, dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Jolly Phonics is a robust educational system that is suitable for all children.

To challenge the validity of Jolly Phonics, CTA decided to collaborate with MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) in 2018. For 10 months, CTA conducted Jolly Phonics classes with adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The goal was to find out whether the system was as robust and inclusive as it states. Our research has found that (1) all students achieved 100% improvement in literacy skills (2) age is not correlated to improvement rate. The study was presented in The World Congress of The International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSID) 2019.

Furthermore, CTA also has a charity wing that focuses on collaborating with Social Service Agencies. One of the programmes is CuriousTime@FSC, where CTA conducts literacy classes at various Family Service Centres across Singapore. (E.g. South Centre Community Service Centre) Another programme is SmallTalk. This is a parent-accompanied literacy course that aims to help parents gain the tools they need to teach English effectively in their own homes. In 2021, SmallTalk collaborated with Fei Yue Early Intervention Centre for Children and brought positive impact to 10 families with children with special needs.

Since 2016, CTA has touched the lives of over 300 beneficiaries from less fortunate backgrounds. By running a private educational centre, CTA has also created a sustainable business model that allows the school the flexibility and financial ability to empower as many children as possible.

Our Social Impact

Curious Thoughts Academy (CTA) measures its social impact through these main indicators: the number of student beneficiaries, their academic, social and emotional development and the number of employment opportunities we provide to adult beneficiaries.  

In the last year (2020/2021), CTA enrolled a total of 16 children into our main programmes. These are integrated classes that are open to the public. The children were referred by social workers from Social Service Agencies. They have been identified as slow learners from low income families. Throughout the year, our CTA teachers develop and monitor the students' social, emotional and academic progress. Literacy skills are assessed based on the students' letter-sound recognition skills, blending skills, segmenting skills and spelling skills. 

CTA is proud to announce that 100% of our students achieved significant improvements in reading and writing skills and 100% of caregiver(s) agree that CTA has successfully met their child's literacy,  social and emotional needs. They are able to keep up with their peers and are able to read and write independently. In terms of social and emotional development, CTA focuses on imparting good work habits and social skills. Many children from low income families lack family support and often struggle with discipline. By the end of the year, 100% of our students showed improvements in focus and met more than 75% of attendance.

CTA also conducts programmes outside of our main school schedule. In 2020, CTA conducted 2 specifically designed classes at South Central Community Family Service Centre (SCCFSC). This programme reached a total of 20 students, aged 3 to 8 years old. Before COVID-19 paused the programme, the students had shown 100% improvement in their reading and writing skills. In April 2021, CTA partnered with Fei Yue Community Services to conduct a successful SmallTalk programme for 10 families with children from their Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC). This programme is designed to teach parents how to teach phonics and parenting strategies at home, benefitting both parent and child. 

Lastly, CTA also tracks the number of employment opportunities it can provide to adult beneficiaries who are referred to us by social workers. In the last year, CTA has provided employment to 5 beneficiaries. CTA has also moved closer to its goal of being a truly inclusive workplace and managed to successfully hire 2 employees from Association For Persons with Special Needs (APSN). Through our collaboration with ASPN Singapore, CTA has created a safe and empowering workplace for employees from all backgrounds and abilities to achieve their fullest potential.. 

In conclusion, CTA has managed to positively impact the lives of 56 student beneficiaries and 5 adult beneficiaries in the last year (2021).