Phonics

Children are taught a range of strategies in order to help them read. This includes phonics (the sounds letters make). We use the Letters and Sounds scheme to teach phonics so that reading, writing, handwriting and spelling are linked, modelled and practised every day. These discrete phonic lessons are taught daily in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Children are regularly assessed and then streamed into relevant phases depending on their ability. They learn the shape, name and phoneme for each letter and group of letters in a sequential way. They have daily practice at reading and recapping letter sounds and blending them to read words. The children achieve success and enjoyment from reading books linked to the sounds that they have been learning each week. The home reading provision also includes books linked to the child’s own reading standard and a book of their own choosing. Children are also taught to read 100 of the most frequently occurring words in English.