About Us

The I Can Read system is the most successful reading system in the world.

10 Steps to Success

Fun Activities

Research

The I Can Read System was developed by educational psychologists, Annabel Seargeant and Tony Earnshaw over 25 years ago.

The I Can Read System grew out of a need to make it easy for children to learn to read as English is a complex language which defies many of the rules. Our vocabulary stems from many different languages including Latin, French, Italian and German.

The English language has arguably 44 sounds or phonemes and only 26 letters of the alphabet to represent them. As such, it can be difficult for students to learn that letters and combination of letters can represent more than one sound. For instance, the letter ‘a’ in words such as cat, gate, any, was, bath area and talk shows us that the ‘a’ has many variations of pronunciation which can cause confusion for any beginner reader.

After years of research, Tony and Annabel introduced the I Can Read programme to the Ministry of Education in Singapore.

The business flourished and quickly expanded to specialist
I Can Read centres in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China.

After returning to Australia, Annabel and Tony opened a number of centres along the East Coast and in 2016 businesswoman Sue Belramoul took over the franchise for I Can Read Chatswood. In a few short years she expanded the business to the size of a large primary school which now operates out of two sites. In 2022 Sue purchased the whole of I Can Read Australia which incorporates centres in Carlingford, Burwood, Hornsby and Macquarie Park.

I Can Read continues to grow at a rapid rate. This has led to opportunities for franchisees to join our I Can Read business partnership.

Join our team

Teaching English literacy is a rewarding and fulfilling career offered in over 7 countries at I Can Read Centres. Many job opportunities for teachers and business opportunities in education are available with the I Can Read System.

In Australia, business opportunities in education are available for teachers and investors. Qualified teachers who would like to work for themselves and grow their own business while choosing their own hours find this an ideal and rewarding opportunity. If you are a teacher who loves to teach literacy or an investor who wants to start your own education business, email headoffice@icanreadsystem.com or call 1800 577 135 for business opportunities in education.

Successful teacher candidates will be trained in the I Can Read System. Investors will employ qualified teachers who will be trained in the System. Only accredited ICR teachers are permitted to teach in licensed I Can Read Centres, and accreditation must be renewed annually through updated training. Teachers whose accreditation has expired, or who do not teach at a licensed I Can Read Centre are not permitted to teach the system.

Our founders

Annabel Seargeant

Annabel Seargeant is a registered educational and cognitive psychologist with a BA major in English literature, psychology and post-graduate qualifications in counselling. She has operated her own specialist reading clinic, working with children with a wide range of abilities, some with dyslexia, intellectual delay and other reading disabilities. Annabel has also worked with children who are able to read and want to extend their mastery of all aspects of the English language. She has a background in teaching literature, creative writing, public speaking and drama. She is also a trainer who has trained reading specialists and teachers how to teach reading.

Tony Earnshaw

Antony Earnshaw is an educational and cognitive psychologist. He taught English in Australian schools for over twenty years, was a senior marker in English and Drama for the NSW HSC and School Certificate and was a school counsellor for several years. He was also a Senior Educational Psychologist for the Ministry of Education in Singapore from 2000 to 2003. Tony has majors in teaching and literature, and his PhD is on how children learn to read.