Phonics
Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language. Written language can be compared to a code, so knowing the sounds of individual letters and how those letters sound when they’re combined will help children decode words as they read. Understanding phonics will also help children know which letters to use when they are writing words. We use the Phonics Bug programme to deliver a highly successful, rigorous reading programme which is carefully matched to the curriculum. This is a synthetic phonics programme. Children in EYFS and KS1 access 40 minutes of phonics teaching a day. This includes age related phonics teaching and grouped phonics phase teaching.
Intent Statement
At St. Stephen’s we are passionate about ensuring all children become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. Our fundamental aim is to teach every child to read as quickly as possible, and be enthused about reading. We strive to teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension, as well as develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. These essential skills not only unlock doors to the rest of the curriculum, but also have a huge impact on children’s self-esteem and future life experiences.
As a school, our aims in teaching phonics are to:
- Deliver high-quality phonic teaching which secures the crucial skills of word recognition that, once mastered, enable children to read fluently and automatically enable them to concentrate on the meaning of the text.
- Establish consistent practice, progression and continuity in the teaching and learning of phonics and spelling throughout the school.
- Differentiate phonics and spelling work according to the needs of children, so that all children are given sufficient challenge at a level at which they can experience success.
- Give children word work strategies that will enable them to become fluent readers and confident writers.
Beginner readers should be taught:
- Grapheme–phoneme correspondences in a clearly defined sequence.
- To apply the highly important skills of blending (synthesising) phonemes in the order in which they occur, all through a word to read it.
- To apply the skills of segmenting words into their constituent phonemes to spell.
- That blending and segmenting are reversible processes.
High-quality Phonics Bug sessions will:
- Engage children in a range of activities and experiences to develop their speaking and listening skills and phonological awareness.
- Enable children to explore a variety of fiction and non-fiction books that are 100% decodable books.
- Support children in their reading, spelling and writing skills.
Programme of Teaching Expectations
We have developed a Scheme of Work for Phonics, detailing an overview of each year group and the expectation of what is to be taught each half term.
Nursery – Children access Phase One teaching through short guided groups daily in the setting. All staff working in the setting must provide verbal segmenting and blending skills regularly and have a secure knowledge of the scheme. Phase One phonics can be enhanced throughout activities within the continuous provision and displayed in the learning environment.
The following year groups (Reception - Year 2) must teach Phonics Bug daily for a minimum of 20 minutes. Children are taught in whole class sessions to ensure children are taught age related phonics. Additional phonic intervention is given for children who need daily through discrete intervention from the teacher to support their needs.
Reception – We aim for all children to have completed phase 4 by the end of Reception.
Year One – We aim for all children to have completed phase 5 by the end of Year One.
Year Two – We aim for all children to be working securely within phase 6 by the end of Year Two. For those children who are working beyond phase 6, we introduce No Nonsense Spelling.
Year Three – Teach Phonics Bug daily for up a minimum of at least 70% of the cohort have not completed the Phonics Bug programme. If only a small proportion have not completed the required level, then daily interventions should be in place for those children. We aim for all children to complete cohort based No Nonsense Spellings.
Key Stage Two (Year 3 – Year 6) – Further intervention (Rapid Phonics) for children who have not completed the Phonics Bug programme will be carried out three times a week.
Implementation Statement
At St. Stephen’s we are dedicated to enabling our children to become enthused, engaged and successful lifelong readers. To achieve this, we implement structured daily phonic lessons where phonetic knowledge is developed. We use the Phonics Bug programme to deliver a highly successful, rigorous reading programme which is carefully matched to the curriculum.
All staff who deliver the Phonics Bug programme have been trained which has given them the skills, knowledge and confidence to plan, deliver and assess phonics to a high standard. Staff are very clear on progress expectations and which sounds children are expected to know by each half term. Reading leaders, teachers and teaching assistants use their professional judgement on a daily basis to assess the children in their group, and identify any gaps in children’s phonetic knowledge. Throughout Early Years and KS1, children are assessed formally each half term by their class teacher and next steps are identified which means that children’s individual needs for phonics are being met. Daily observations and formative assessments of children’s phonic knowledge, coupled with a robust assessment approach each half term, ensures children are given the correct book which is carefully matched to their phonic understanding, and the acquisition of sounds which have been taught. Equally, this means children are issued with the correct home reading book for them to enjoy at home, thus allowing them to experience early reading success, gain confidence and consolidate the learning that takes places in school.
Phonics in EYFS and KS1
In EYFS, we promote early reading in children as soon as they arrive with us in Nursery or in Reception, as we believe this underpins their natural curiosity of storytelling and enjoyment of stories.. Within every area of provision in the reception classroom, children are exposed to a wealth of rich reading opportunities. We also encourage children to use phonics within provision, doing this in a purposeful way. Within our indoor and outdoor environment, we also embed sound recognition and provide ample opportunities for the children to apply their learning within their play, both independently and adult led. We endeavour to create rich learning experiences which reflect the children’s interests and fascinations, therefore our planned activities are carefully crafted to match their needs. In Reception, we begin to teach individual phonemes during daily phonic sessions, as well as how to segment and blend sounds in words to read them. Guided reading sessions enable early readers to access a phonics fluency taught session as well as a comprehension of understanding session.
In conjunction with our daily phonics sessions, we distinguish between environmental, instrumental and body sounds during our letters and sounds sessions and within our continuous provision. In addition, we develop an awareness of rhyme, alliteration and oral sound blending through engaging children in various daily activities. In Nursery and Reception, we instil a love of reading with various stories that can be shared with the children. Like KS1 and KS2, every term, Reception focus on a high-quality text and we provide opportunities for the children to sequence, retell and use role play to develop their imagination and own ideas of storytelling.
In KS1 children are taught phonics at an age appropriate level as well as in their phonics phases. Guided reading opportunities provide early readers with a phonics fluency and comprehension reading session every week. Children enjoy a literacy rich environment and are encouraged to read for enjoyment as well as to read texts closely matched to their phonics phase. Texts are displayed in class reading areas and a wide range of reading opportunities are planned into the curriculum each week.
In KS2, a small number of pupils who are behind in their reading will access a phonics programme, to ensure that they quickly catch up with their peers. These may be children new to English or who have an Individual Education Plan. Short phonics and reading interventions on a regular basis aim to catch these pupils up so that they can use their reading skills to access the curriculum.
Parental Engagement
We recognise the importance of parental engagement and children reading at home with their families, therefore during the first term of Nursery and Reception, all parents are invited to attend ‘Phonics meeting’ whereby they are given an overview of the expectations of reading in St. Stephen’s Primary School. This includes an insight into what a daily lesson looks like, how physical phonics can be implemented at home, and what our home reading books entail.
Each child in EYFS and KS1 has an online Phonics Bug account that can be accessed online in school or at home. Children each have their own log in and are selected books by their class teacher to match their reading ability.
Click here to listen to the correct pronunciation of graphemes.
Impact Statement
At St. Stephen’s our consistent approach to the teaching of our systematic phonics curriculum enables children to become confident, fluent readers and increasingly accurate spellers, which in turn, unlocks doors to the rest of the curriculum allowing children to flourish in all areas.
Ongoing formative assessment takes place within each phonics lesson. This includes, teacher observations, questioning and discussions. These outcomes are fed forward into timely teacher intervention and subsequent planning to ensure gaps in phonological knowledge are closed and progress is not limited. Children’s progress is continually reviewed to allow for support and intervention in phonics to meet their needs. Children are regularly moved on to the next phonic book and phase unit when their fluency and understanding show that they are ready. Children move through the phonic books and phase units until they reach the required standard to become an independent reader, choosing a book to read from our well-stocked school library.
The national Phonics Screening Check is performed in June of Year 1. The purpose of the screening check is to confirm that all children have learned phonic decoding to an age-appropriate standard. The children who did not meet the required standard for the check in year 1 enter again in year 2 with additional support.
As children enter KS2, provision is made for those children still requiring daily phonics. Pupil progress will also identify precise actions and objectives for targeted focus children, including the lowest 20% who are not likely to meet the required standard of the Phonics Screening Check. We recognise that quality first teaching in phonics is the essential first step in improving outcomes for all children. With this in mind, we ensure that teachers and teaching assistants are kept up to date on the latest initiatives and news. This is through continuous professional development by outside providers and within school (such as local authority networks and TA training).
Equality and Diversity
At St. Stephen’s we are committed to promoting a positive and diverse phonics curriculum. The books that use to support our reading cover a diverse background with a variety of disabilities, cultures, religions, beliefs, ethnicities and social background. We aim to provide children with current texts to ensure that children are able to relate themselves in the books they select to read.
Access for all
All children
Reading at home
Home Reading Books
Children will be sent home with reading books which have been carefully matched to the phonics phase your child is on to help them practice phonemes learnt in class.
Phonics Bug Active Learn
Each child in school has access to an online account for Phonics Bug Active Learn. Each child has a personalised homepage where they'll find the eBooks they've been allocated by the teacher and motivating rewards. The online reading world ensures children can access independent reading resources anywhere at any time.
Your child's class teacher will give your child a log in at the beginning of the academic year. You can log in on the following link - https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?e=-1&c=0
