Phonics

 

Intent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Bishop Creighton Academy we want every child to be successful, fluent readers and writers by the end of Key Stage 1, and we believe that this is achievable through a combination of strong, high quality, discrete phonics teaching combined with opportunities for developing reading skills.

The systematic teaching of phonics has a very high priority throughout the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and beyond. We acknowledge that children need to be taught the key skills in segmenting and blending to be equipped with the knowledge to be confident readers who are able to comprehend. We also value and encourage the children to read for enjoyment and recognise that this starts with the foundations of acquiring letter sounds, segmenting, and blending skills. These fundamental skills not only hold the keys to the rest of the curriculum but also have a huge impact on children’s self-esteem and future life chances. By acquiring these skills, children will become confident readers who will achieve great things as they progress through school.

Implementation    

We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised to plan and provide daily engaging phonics lessons. In phonics, we teach children that the letters of the alphabet represent a different sound, that these can be used in a variety of combinations and are put together to make words. The children learn to recognise all the different sounds and combinations that they might see when they are reading or writing.

Our phonics teaching starts in Reception and follows a very specific sequence that allows our children to build on their previous phonic knowledge and master specific phonic strategies as they move through school. We also model these strategies in shared reading and writing both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on the development of language skills for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects. 

In Reception and Year 1, children follow the progression within the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics is taught daily and there is a review session on a Friday.

• Phonics starts in Reception in week 2 to ensure the children make a strong start.
• By the end of Reception, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 4.
• By the end of Year 1, children will have been taught up to the end of phase 5.
• Children in Year 2 recap any gaps in their phonics knowledge in the autumn term.
• Reception lessons start at 15 minutes, with daily additional oral blending – increasing quickly to 30 minutes.
• Year 1 lessons are 30 minutes long.   

 

Reading practice sessions

Children across Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 apply their phonics knowledge by using a matched decodable reader in a small group reading practice session.

• These sessions are 20 minutes long and happen three times a week. There are approximately 6 children in a group.
• The sessions follow the model set out in Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised.
• The children then take the same book home at the end of the week to ensure success is shared with the family.
• In Reception these sessions start by week 4. Children who are not yet blending read a wordless book.

 

 How do we assess phonic knowledge?

• In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at the end of each week there is a review session which recaps the learning. There are also whole review weeks (pre-planned and bespoke review weeks to address gaps identified by the class teacher’s ongoing formative assessment).
• Children identified in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 as at risk of falling behind are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – these sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
• In Reception and Year 1, the children are assessed at the end of every half-term using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker.
• Children in Year 1 complete the statutory Phonics Screening Check in the summer term.
• Children who do not meet the standard in the Phonics Screening Check in Year 1 will complete this in Year 2. Support continues to be put in place for these children.

 

If you are a parent/carer and would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow the link below to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources.

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/

 

Impact

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school. Attainment in phonics is measured by the Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 1. Attainment in reading is measured using statutory assessments and teacher assessments each year.

 

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

The Phonics screening check is a compulsory assessment that all children in Year 1 in England must take. It is used to assess children’s phonic decoding skills. To pass, a pupil must correctly read around 32/40 words correctly. The 40 words in the check are split into sections progressing from simple word structures to trickier words with five or six letters.

The often confusing thing about the screening check is that 20/40 of the words that children are expected to read are ‘nonsense words’, alien words that have no meaning. This is so that the check tests a child’s ability to phonetically decode words and to ensure they don't just know the word in the check already. The aim of the check isn’t to test how many words a child can read, but to ensure children have the phonics skills they need to learn new words in the future.

The check is administered by your child’s teacher during the designated phonics screening week. The words are the same all across the country. Schools are sent the screening check through the post in a sealed box and teachers are not allowed to open the test until the start of that week. Your child will be scored against a national average which has been 32/40 since 2012. The mark will be told to schools at the end of June and results are shared with your Annual Report.

To find out more detail about the screening check click here

 

Phase 2 Phonics

 

 

 

Phase 3 Phonics