Phonics

Phonics

Subject Leader - Mrs Rachel Reid

At All Saints we are passionate about ensuring all children become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers and believe that Read Write, Inc (RWI) phonics provides the foundations of learning to make the development into fluent reading and writing easier. Children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. Through RWI phonics, children learn a simple alphabetic code followed by a more complex code. All reading books progress cumulatively, matched to the sound’s children are learning and already know. The systematic teaching of phonics is of high priority throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1. Phonics is taught daily to all children in EYFS, Year 1 and those in Year 2 who have not passed the phonics screening in Year 1 or completed the Read, Write, Inc (RWI) phonics programme.

Children are taught to:

• decode letter/sounds correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills
• read ‘tricky’ (red words) on sight
• understand what they read
• read aloud with fluency and expression
• write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
• spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
• acquire good handwriting

Children are grouped, according to their progress in reading rather than their writing. This is because it is known that children’s progress in writing is likely to lag behind progress in reading, especially for those whose motor skills are less well developed. Partner work enables children to explain and consolidate what they are learning and by supporting each other in their learning.  Staff ensure that children read decodable books that are closely matched to the children’s increasing knowledge of phonics and the ‘red words’. This is so that, early on, they experience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Adults read a wide range of stories, poetry and non-fiction to the children every day where a love of reading is promoted. Those children who are not making the expected level of progress in phonics and reading will have 1:1 or small group interventions.  Attainment in phonics is measured by the phonics screening Test at the end of Year 1 and ongoing assessment throughout the Read, Write, Inc programme.