The development of the Readwell Program began in 1993 and continued throughout 1994 and 1995. It was developed by Gold Coast Educational Consultant Dr Bruce Cruicks, B.Com (Econ.), Dip. Ed (Soc. Sc.), M.Ed. (Sp.Ed.), Ph. D., N.S.W.T.C., MACE, JP, Developer and CEO Readwell Systems.

After a substantial amount of research Dr. Cruicks discovered through the use of structural analysis, that reading involved 24 steps.

Through carefully planned analysis, Dr. Cruicks was able to reduce the number of steps to only seven, significantly decreasing the complexity of reading.

Students attend a weekly lesson of approximately 55 minutes duration where they work on a combination of phonics and whole language activities. They also participate in exercises to assist the development of their visual and auditory memory (if needed).

At the conclusion of the lesson, parents are instructed on the homework tasks for the week. The student is required to do the homework tasks for at least 20 minutes, 4 times a week. This is essential to the success of the program, so that the next lesson is not spent entirely on revision.

If students cannot attend a weekly lesson, the course can be done by correspondence with support from the NSW Franchisor. Students are required to work on the program with the help of an adult for about 30 minutes, five times a week. Phone support is readily available.

The students are monitored throughout the program to ensure rapid improvement. Re-tests are conducted at week 5 and again at week 10 or 12 (depending on the opinion of the Consultant)

Most students will need only 10 or 12 lessons to dramatically improve both their reading age and confidence when approaching reading tasks.