Phonics

Phonics Leads: Miss Heslin and Mrs Clarke

'Teach a child to read and keep that child reading and we will change everything... and I mean everything.' Jeanette Winterson

Read Write Inc

We use the Read Write Inc Phonics programme. 

The programme is for:
• Children in Nursery and Pre-School from the Summer Term
•Children in Reception to Year 2 who are learning to read and write
• Any children in Years 2, 3 and 4 who need to catch up rapidly

In Read Write Inc. Phonics children:
• Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills
• Read common exception words on sight
• Understand what they read
• Read aloud with fluency and expression
• Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words

In addition, we teach children to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. This provides the Practitioner with opportunities to assess learning and to pick up on difficulties, such as poor articulation, or problems with blending or alphabetic code knowledge.

We group children, according to their progress in reading rather than their writing. This is because it is known that children’s progress in writing will lag behind progress in reading, especially for those whose motor skills are less well developed.

In the Reception Year we emphasise the alphabetic code. The children rapidly learn sounds and the letter or
groups of letters they need to represent them. Simple mnemonics help them to grasp this quickly. This is especially useful for children at risk of making slower progress. This learning is consolidated daily. Children have frequent practice in reading high frequency words with irregular spellings – common exception words.

We make sure that children read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and the common exception words. This is so that, early on, they experience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Re-reading and discussing these books with an adult supports their increasingly fluent decoding. Alongside this, the teachers read a wide range of stories, poetry and non-fiction to children. Embedding the alphabetic code early on means that children quickly learn to write simple words and sentences. We encourage them to compose each sentence aloud until they are confident to write independently. We make sure they write every day.

Our aim is for children to complete the phonics programme as quickly as possible. The sooner they complete it, the sooner they will be able to choose books to read at their own interest and comprehension level.

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