Teaching Phonics at Stechford Primary School 

At Stechford Primary School we model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lessons and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

At Stechford Primary School we value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.

We use the government validated systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) called ‘Little Wandle: Letters & Sounds Revised’. The programme is designed to teach children to read from Reception to Year 2, using the skill of decoding and blending sounds together to form words. The Little Wandle programme provides a full progression through all commonly occurring GPCs (sounds), working from simple to more complex, and taking into account the frequency of their occurrence in the most commonly encountered words.

The teaching of Phonics is fast-paced, and we encourage all children to actively participate in each lesson; by encouraging the children to take ownership of their learning we are continuously striving for excellence.

At Stechford Primary School we aim to provide all children with the fundamental skills that will enable them to be confident and fluent readers.

Reading and writing are essential life skills and we are dedicated to enabling our children to become enthused, engaged and successful lifelong readers and writers. To support this we implement the following:

 

Daily phonics lessons in Reception and Year 1

We teach phonics for up to 30 minutes a day. In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible. Every Friday, we review the week’s teaching to help children become fluent readers.

Children make a strong start in Reception: teaching begins in Week 3 of the Autumn term.

We follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised expectations of progress:

• Children in Reception are taught to read and spell words using Phase 2 and 3 GPCs, and words with adjacent consonants (Phase 4) with fluency and accuracy.
• Children in Year 1 review Phase 3 and 4 and are taught to read and spell words using Phase 5 GPCs with fluency and accuracy.
• Daily Keep-up lessons ensure every child learns to read

The children are regularly assessed using daily observations in lessons, and more formal assessments every 3-6 weeks depending on their phase. From these assessments, adults can identify children needing further support with their phonics.

 

Daily Keep-up Lessons Ensure Every Child Learns to Read

• Any child who needs additional practice has daily Keep-up support, taught by a fully trained adult. Keep-up lessons match the structure of class teaching, and use the same procedures, resources and mantras, but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.
• We timetable additional daily phonics lessons for any child in Year 2 who is not fully fluent at reading or has not passed the Phonics Screening Check. These children urgently need to catch up, so the gap between themselves and their peers does not widen. We use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments to identify the gaps in their phonic knowledge and teach to these using the Keep-up resources – at pace.
• If any child in Year 3 to 6 has gaps in their phonic knowledge when reading or writing, they continue to be supported through phonics sessions.

 

Teaching Reading: Reading practice sessions three times a week

• We teach children to read through reading practice sessions three times a week. These:
  • are taught by a fully trained adult to small groups of children.
  • use books matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessments.
  • are monitored by the early reading lead and the class teacher who rotates and works with each group on a regular basis.
• Each reading practice session has a clear focus, so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:
  • Decoding (blending the GPCs to read the words and reading tricky words).
  • Prosody (teaching children to read with understanding and expression).
  • Comprehension (teaching children to understand the text through questioning and discussion).
• We continue to teach reading in this way for any children who still need to practise reading with decodable books.

Home Reading

• Once a child has completed their three reading practice sessions in school, they will then take the same phonically decodable book home. This book is taken home to ensure success is shared with the family. This book is changed weekly.
• Children also take home a ‘Share Together’ book. Children chose this book themselves to encourage reading for pleasure. The ‘Share Together’ book is for parents to read to their child.

By the time children leave Stechford Primary School they are competent and fluent readers who can recommend books to their peers, have a passion for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books.

Our systematic approach to teaching Phonics combined with our high expectations has had a positive impact on the reading outcomes for all pupils.