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Phonics

At Woodchester Endowed Church of England Primary School, phonics teaching begins in the early years and provides children with the essential phonetic skills necessary for nurturing academic, social and emotional development and self-esteem. 

Phonics Intent

At Woodchester Endowed Church of England Primary School, we:

  • Create confident and independent learners who are able to transfer their knowledge and skills learnt in phonics to other curriculum subjects. 
  • Give children the skills to become lifelong readers. 
  • Inspire all learners to achieve.

 

We teach pupils to: 

  • Apply the skill of blending phonemes in order to read words.
  • Segment words in order to spell. 
  • Understand the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns which represent them.
  • Read common exception words that do not conform to regular phonic patterns.
  • Read texts and words that are within their phonic capabilities as early as possible. 
  • Confidently decode texts so that they can comprehend what they read.
Phonics Implementation

 

  • We use the systematic synthetic DfE accredited phonics scheme 'Monster Phonics'. We follow a carefully planned programme which reinforces and builds on previous learning. 
  • Phonics is taught both discretely and daily through a whole class approach. This begins immediately at the beginning of reception.
  • Our interactive and engaging lessons follow a structured format.
  • Children are given tasks that allow them to practise and apply what they have been taught. These opportunities will be within each phonics session and across the curriculum. 
  • Group reading sessions, 1-1 individual reading and decodable reading books which match their current phonics level. 
  • All staff are trained to support the teaching of phonics. 


Group reading sessions: 

  • These sessions focus on decoding, prosody and comprehension. 
  • Children read the same book in each session, with a different focus for each session. 
  • Children are assessed in each session and this is recording using the group reading forms. 

 

Assessment:

  • Pupils' recognition of phonemes is routinely assessed and recorded; this follows an assessment timetable and takes place at least once a term.
  • We use Monster Phonics' tracking system to ensure that gaps are quickly identified and addressed. 
  • Daily formative assessment takes place to monitor pupils' ability to segment and blend. 
  • Mock phonic screening checks are carried out at multiple times throughout the year.

 

Interventions:

  • Following any phonics assessments, pupils across EYFS and KS1 continue to be supported with a 'keep-up' intervention approach. 
  • Focus specifically on what children need to pay attention to.
  • Content does not overload working memory.
  • Provide repetitive fast-paced practice of GPC recognition, letter formation, blending and segmenting. 
  • Activities are routine for efficient learning. 
  • Take place daily. 
  • Phonics support continues into KS2 when necessary. 

 

Click to Download Reception Phonics Progression [pdf 310KB] Click to Download
Click to Download Year 1 Phonics Progression [pdf 335KB] Click to Download
Click to Download Year 2 Phonics Progression [pdf 1MB] Click to Download