Phonics

Phonics Curriculum

 ‘Phonics gives children the key to unlocking this alphabetic code for their reading and spelling.’

DfE, National Curriculum

Intent

 At Moorfield Primary, we are dedicated in ensuring that all children become confident, enthusiastic readers and writers.

 We believe that the teaching of phonics provides the best foundation for learning to read and write confidently.  To ensure our children to develop a strong phonic awareness and effective decoding and encoding skills we follow the approach of systematic and synthetic phonics.  We strongly encourage a love of reading and the ability to read accurately and automatically, enabling them to access our broad and balanced enquiry curriculum and thrive during their time at Moorfield and beyond.

 Our aim is for all children to have a love of reading and the ability to read accurately and automatically, enabling them to access a high-quality, broad curriculum and ensuring they succeed as learners throughout their time at Moorfield.

 IMPLEMENTATION  

At Moorfield Primary, we follow the Read Write Inc (RWInc) Phonics scheme. Read, Write Inc is a highly successful phonics programme for children aged 4 to 7 who are learning to read and write. It teaches children how to both decode and understand written language to become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. This is achieved by using a fast-paced approach to teaching phonics that is consistent across the school using the Read, Write Inc phonics resources and fully decodable reading books.

 Children are grouped according to their ability in Early Years and Key Stage 1 to ensure that teaching is matched to their level which helps to accelerate their progress.  The groups are fluid and are frequently reviewed to ensure that progress is never hindered. Phonics in Early Years and Key Stage 1 takes place daily which leads into reading lessons. Children in Key Stage 2 also have the opportunity to access the phonics teaching and support they require, with a specially tailored programme of intervention to meet their individual needs. 

 Through our rigorous and highly successful Read, Write Inc program.  We teach children to:

• apply the skill of blending phonemes in order to read words.
• segment words into their constituent phonemes in order to spell words.
• learn that blending and segmenting words are reversible processes.
• read high frequency words that do not conform to regular phonic patterns.
• Teach students the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they can decode, or sound out, words.
• read texts and words that are within their phonic capabilities as early as possible.
• decode texts effortlessly so all their resources can be used to comprehend what they read.
• spell effortlessly so that all their resources can be directed towards composing their writing

 Teaching Children to Read

 We teach the children phonics straight away in Reception. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the (phonemes) sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down (graphemes). This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well.

 We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters. Once the children have learnt to blend accurately, they start to read with fluency. This is achieved through speedy reading of individual words and repeated reads of their shared reading books. ‘Tricky words’ such as ‘once’ ‘said’ ‘the’ are not phonetically decodable and these are taught explicitly as part of the reading session.  

 Children in Early Years and Key Stage 1 are assessed and regrouped every half term to ensure they receive the correct level of support and challenge. Children who join the school part way through the academic year are quickly assessed in phonics and grouped according to their ability. Children who are off-track during the year, will have timetabled intervention to secure progress.

 IMPACT

 Through our approach and the consistent, systematic and daily teaching of phonics, our aim is for all children to acquire the ability to read, along with a love of reading. This is made possible by giving children solid phonics foundations and equipping them with the skills to decode unfamiliar words using strategies that they have been taught in their daily lessons. These skills then enabling the children to become fluent, confident readers who read for pleasure at frequently.

 Children are assessed at the end of Year 1 using a Government Statutory Assessment Tool known as the Phonics Screening Check. This screening check confirms whether the child has learnt phonic decoding to the expected age standard and will identify sounds needing further support in Year 2.

 The children are assessed one to one by our phonics lead, who all children are familiar with. Those who do not pass the screening will continue their phonics lessons at their level in Year 2 by being streamed into the correct group. This allows for them to further develop their confidence and knowledge, within a group aimed at their specific ability, ready to retake the screening at the end of Year 2.