Phonics
Our Aims:
• To establish a cohesive whole-school approach with progression and continuity in the teaching and learning of phonics throughout the school with a focus on quality first teaching.
• To ensure that systematic synthetic phonics (following the Twinkl Phonics programme) is the first approach pupils use to help with their reading and spelling.
• To ensure children learn to read and write all 44 graphemes in the English language.
• To ensure children have specific strategies to identify and decode common exception words (tricky words).
• To have robust assessment procedures to check progress and identify pupils in need of intervention.
• For pupils to apply their phonic knowledge in their reading and writing across the whole curriculum.
• For pupils to develop a love of reading and enjoy reading for pleasure confidently across a range of genres.
Objectives:
• To provide consistent, high-quality phonics teaching that ensures all children have a strong foundation upon which to tackle the complex processes of reading and writing.
• To ensure that the teaching of synthetic phonics is systematic and progressive throughout the foundation stage and key stage one
• To ensure that children have strong phonetic knowledge, understanding and skills so that they can decode words confidently and engage with higher-order reading and writing skills.
We use Twinkl Phonics as our systematic, synthetic phonics programme (SSP). The structure of every Twinkl Phonics lesson follows a familiar five-part structure to ensure that the four cornerstones of phonics are covered. During our phonics lessons, children will repeat the elements from the four cornerstones of phonics to ensure that they have rapid and automatic recall of GPCs and tricky/common exception words; each day, they will experience blending and segmenting activities to allow regular practice of these core skills.
Stories are used to provide a stimulus and context for phonics teaching in our Twinkl Phonics lessons. The story content also integrates games to practise the skills taught. Our phonics lessons are also supported by decodable minibooks, where children can apply the skills they have learnt in their phonics lessons.
As part of our wider SSP provision, there are also follow-up activities that the children may be asked to complete independently, in pairs or in groups that relate to the day’s learning. In addition, we use actions to help the children remember phonemes; this kinaesthetic, visual and auditory approach helps the children to retain the phonemes and supports children with SEND.
Decodable reading books are also used, matched to the children’s phonic level. We use both individual and guided reading to teach reading alongside phonics.
In conjunction with the teaching of phonics, we also may choose to provide our children phonics-based activities to take home at the appropriate level. These include parent information sheets and home learning booklets. This helps to consolidate what has been taught in school and encourages a cohesive whole-school approach.
Timetabling/Structure
Phonics is taught daily to all children in EYFS and Key Stage 1. All lessons consist of a mixture of carpet time and follow-up activities. Children will be regularly assessed to ensure they are receiving phonics teaching at the correct level.
Children identified as not making the expected progress will be identified early and will receive additional phonics interventions either through same-day interventions or in small focus groups following an assessment of their needs.
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, children are assessed on their knowledge of GPCs and tricky/common exception words regularly, to establish their phonic level. Blending and segmenting assessments are also carried out throughout the year to ensure that children have the skills securely in place for reading and spelling.
Inclusion/ Intervention Supporting the Lowest 20% Achievers
Regular assessment is vital to ensure the early identification of children who may need us to provide them with extra support, either through interventions or during daily classroom teaching. Ideally, these children will take part in daily interventions, which will normally include recapping or relearning missing GPCs and tricky/common exception words and practising blending and segmenting skills. As soon as we identify any child who is struggling to succeed in phonics, the provision is put into place to close the gap.
Extending and Challenging Fast Learners
Regular assessment is also vital to ensuring the early identification of children who may need us to challenge them further, either through extension activities or during daily classroom teaching.