Phonics

At Upton St James (USJ) we are passionate about ensuring all children become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers who are able to ‘Rise to their best’. We 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 teaching of phonics is of high priority. 

The systematic teaching of phonics has a 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.  

In the EYFS, a vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge in phonics is the use of continuous provision. This means that children are using and developing their knowledge and understanding throughout the year on a daily/weekly basis.  

Children also take part in daily synthetic phonics sessions, which follow the Read Write Inc. scheme. Children are encouraged to transfer their learning from these phonics sessions into their independent reading and writing in the continuous provision.  

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 children are able to ‘Love their neighbour as themselves’ (Mark 12 v30-31). 

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.  

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. The children read books in line with their phonics knowledge. Children can then focus on developing fluency and comprehension throughout the school. Embedding the alphabetic code early on means that children quickly learn to write simple words and sentences. 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.