Phonics
Learning to read is the most important thing your child will learn at our school. Everything else depends on it, so we put as much energy as we possibly can into making sure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible.
We want your child to love reading – and to want to read for themselves. This is why we put our efforts into making sure they develop a love of books as well as simply learning to read.
In the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, we teach phonics (the sounds of English) through the 'Read, Write, Inc' phonics programme.
Our children learn the sounds of English to enable them to decode (read) and encode (write) English.
Phonics lessons are taught to all children in Nursery through to Year 1 and include fun, focused activities that develop skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Children in Year 2 also access the lessons, if they still need this teaching to develop their reading skills or if they did not reach the expected standard of the Phonics Screening Check. Children from all year groups are also included in phonics lessons if required. This is usually due to them being new to speaking English or having Special Educational Needs.
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In June, children in Year 1 take the Government's Phonics Screening Check. Year 2 children also take the test, if they did not reach the expected standard when they took the test in Year 1.
Each year, we hold a workshop for parents to inform them about the phonics in school and the Phonics Screening Check. To find out more information about the Phonics Screening Check, please click here. If you would like help with how the sounds are pronounced in English, please watch the video below
You can help your child practise the sounds taught through the RWI phonics program using the videos below. Some sounds are single letters, others have two letters that make the sound (digraphs) and some sounds have three letters (trigraphs).
What can you do to help at home?
- Use Fred Talk to help your child to read and spell words (use sounds not letter names).
- Encourage your child to read their RWI Storybook.
- Watch the Virtual Classroom films together.
- Read stories to your child every day.
How do I use the Virtual Classroom?
- Set aside 10 minutes to watch a film with your child each day. This can be accessed by the QR code sent home by your child's phonics teacher.
- Find a quiet space for your child to watch the film on a laptop or tablet.
- Praise your child as they join in with the lesson – make it fun!
Your child can practise reading and blending phonic sounds, while playing some fun games here.
If your child needs help with phonics whilst writing at home or doing homework you can download and print the speed sounds charts here
You can find the link to the past papers issued by the Department for Education here: