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Phonics

What is Phonics?

2 Corinthians 1:13 of the Bible

“For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end.”

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. Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters. For example, the sound k can be spelled as c, k, ck or ch. Teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out. For example, when a child is taught the sounds for the letters t, p, a and s, they can start to build up the words: “tap”, “taps”, “pat”, “pats” and “sat”.

Here at Egerton, we deliver our phonics lessons using Read Write Inc. Read Write Inc. is a popular phonics scheme. Like all phonics schemes, it teaches children the sounds in English, the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters when writing. Read Write Inc. Phonics includes reading books written using only the letters they have learnt at each level (and a small number of separately taught tricky words). Tricky words are words where the spelling of the word does not appear to fit with the phonemes that children have been taught so far. These words are taught as whole words rather than as a combination of sounds. Using the Read Write Inc. scheme, children quickly feel confident and successful readers.

Intent

At Egerton CEP School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Read Write Inc., which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Read Write Inc. progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.

As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Egerton CEP School, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

At Egerton CEP School, we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

Because we believe teaching every child to read is so important, we have a Reading Leader who drives the early reading programme in our school. This person is highly skilled at teaching phonics and reading, and they monitor and support our reading team, so everyone teaches with fidelity to the Read Write Inc. programme.

In Years 5 and Year 6 we use the Read Write Inc. Fresh Start programme. This catch up intervention programme helps support children that are still learning to read.  Fresh Start teaches students at their challenge point, so they learn to read accurately and fluently. They will also develop good comprehension, spelling and punctuation skills through targeted activities.

Implementation

Children that are being taught phonics using the Read Write Inc. scheme receive daily phonics lessons. We begin teaching phonics in Reception from when children first start school to ensure they make a strong start. Lessons are 10 minutes and focus on single letter sounds. Lessons eventually build up to 45 minutes in length and follow the Read Write Inc expectations of progress. 

Impact

  • Read easily, confidently and fluently.
  • Actively read the text for meaning to ensure that the story is understood and read with fluency and expression.
  • Develop an understanding of reading to comprehend the text.
  • Exposure to a range of text genres.
  • Immersed in a reading environment.
  • Develop a love of reading and an encouragement for wider reading.
  • Exposed to a wide variety of vocabulary and phrases.
  • Work collaboratively to enhance their spoken language and embed their understanding.
  • Assessed daily within class, and regularly by the Reading Leader.
  • Demonstrate understanding in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
  • Demonstrate understanding in the statutory tests at the end of the key stage.

Phonics Curriculum