Robin Hood Primary School

Phonics

In Reception and Year 1, Phonics is taught every morning. The number of sounds taught in a session varies by phase but Mon-Thurs will teach the children new sounds then Friday is spent consolidating/revising the week’s sounds. As well as this, on Tuesday-Thursday your child will participate in 3 guided reading sessions. The first session (Tuesday) will focus on introducing the week’s book, beginning to read the text with increasing fluency. In the second reading session (Wednesday) children will develop their use of prosody (expression) when reading the (same) text. Finally, on Thursday’s, the children will read their text a third time answering comprehension questions to demonstrate their understanding of what they have read. The children will then bring home their ‘expert reads’. The phase of book selected for each child does not necessarily match the phase being taught in the phonics sessions, instead groupings are informed by half termly assessments which accurately place the children on their correct individual book level.

 

Our phonics teaching is systematic and structured with built-in revision to ensure every child succeeds. We teach the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds scheme supported by the use of Big Cat Phonics resources. Through continuous CPD and coaching, we can ensure that all staff in school (not just Reception & KS1) are using the same effective model to plan and teach Phonics. Children’s Phonics journey begins in Nursery where the scheme’s ‘Foundations For Phonics’ are laid. Phases 2-4 are taught in Reception and Phase 5 is taught in Year 1. It is in Year 1 that children sit the statutory Phonics Screening Check (PSC).

Consolidation is key - Reception learning is consolidated at the start of Year 1 and Year 1 learning is consolidated at the start of Year 2. It is our aim for all children to exit KS1 able to read fluently, with prosody and good comprehension but for any child who needs it, the scheme provides a Rapid Catch Up programme for children aged 7+.

Mrs Jennings is the leader of Phonics at Robin Hood

Children in EYFS and Year 1 are taught to read using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds.

We have specifically chosen this scheme for its rigorous approach to teaching reading skills. Please see the overview of coverage below:

Our phonics teaching is systematic and structured with built-in revision to ensure every child succeeds. We apply step-by-step phonics with application and practise using the Big Cat Phonics resources. Through continuous CPD and coaching, we can ensure that all staff in school (not just Reception & KS1) are using the same effective model to plan and teach Phonics. Phases 2-4 are taught in Reception and Phase 5 is taught in Year 1. Reception learning is consolidated at the start of Year 1 and Year 1 learning is consolidated at the start of Year 2.

 

Click Here for Little Wandle Resources and Videos for Parents / Carers

 

Early Reading

In Reception and Year 1, all children will be listened to reading in school three times a week. Each of these sessions has a very clear intention and purpose as outlined by the Little Wandle scheme:

1.  Decoding session – practising blending and learning new vocabulary

2.  Prosody – using our voice to read the text

3.  Comprehension – understanding what we have read

 

Children will bring home two books each week: an ‘expert book’ directly linked to their phonics learning (that they have been exposed to in the three reading sessions) and a reading for pleasure book which they may not be able to read in its entirety but have selected themselves to enjoy with you at home. Each child will have two bookmarks so that you are clear on which book is which.

 

When children bring home their ‘expert books’, they should demonstrate around 90% accuracy (independently) with their decoding and should demonstrate expression in their voice and comprehend what they have read. It is important that you speak with your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns around this.

 

Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing their practice at home. Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success! After they have finished, talk about the book together.

 

In order to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they feel confident in their phonics learning and are able to enjoy reading for pleasure. Enjoy each book they come home with, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters and explore the facts in a non-fiction book. The main thing is that you have fun!

 

Assessment

Assessment is, as ever, a key part of our phonics teaching and this extends across school. In the Autumn term, all children in Years 1, 2 and 3 will be assessed on their phonic knowledge to ensure that we can quickly address any gaps. Even in Years 4-6, we have identified children who will also be assessed to ensure that their phonics learning is still secure. All children, regardless of their year group, who require additional support will participate in bespoke catch up interventions on either an individual or small group basis.

In Reception and Year 1, children complete an assessment every six weeks and these assessments are analysed forensically. In these year groups particularly, all aspects of the day are utilised to ensure new learning is retained and understood. We appreciate that for parents whose children were in Reception last academic year, that moving to a scheme mid-way in their phonics learning journey may raise concerns, but we have ensured in our planning that children will not have gaps in their learning. In Autumn 1, children in Year 1 will revise the scheme’s units for Reception before advancing onto their new, phase 5 learning.

It is crucial that parents understand how sounds are to be pronounced and how to form letters correctly when writing in order to avoid children facing misconceptions/learning bad habits! See below for two documents to support with this

Support at Home

For many families, phonics can bring a whole new world of words and learning and this may feel quite daunting. Parents will be introduced to the scheme via meetings with class teachers and myself, the phonics lead. In the meantime, here is a glossary of terms to help you make the best start on your child’s reading journey:

In support of our teaching of the Little Wandle scheme, we please urge parents to do the following:

·       Read daily with your child – their phonics books, their reading for pleasure selections and of course books from home or libraries that they enjoy.

·       Praise your child and show them how much you value and enjoy reading yourself.

·       If your child struggles, encourage them to "sound-talk" or segment the word and then blend the sounds together (e.g. c-a-t makes cat).

·       Watch the sound pronunciation videos on the Little Wandle website to ensure you are saying the sounds correctly ("pure sounds") without adding an 'uh' at the end.

·       Attend phonics meetings in school which will clarify vocabulary and techniques that we use and of course, provide you much needed time to think about Phonics and ask any questions that you may have.

Tricky Words

If your child asks you or tells you about tricky words, you may feel like scratching your head! Tricky words are not decodable using phonics alone as they have spellings that do not show grapheme-phoneme correspondence. They are also called common exception words. Please see the documents below outlining what these words are and why they are ‘tricky’!

Enrichment and Extra Opportunities

Throughout the year, parents with children in Reception will be invited into school to learn about their child’s Phonics journey for the year ahead. These meetings are well received and very supportive/informative. The teachers of children in these year groups will discuss your child’s Phonics progress as part of the 2 x yearly parent consultation meetings. Ahead of the Year 1 PSC, some children will be invited to additional phonics practise sessions after school on Tuesday’s. These children are selected by the Year 1 class teachers and Phonics lead.

The books that we select from Big Cat Phonics are designed to be highly diverse and inclusive, featuring a wide range of characters, backgrounds, and themes. They align with the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, ensuring representation for all children while covering various genres like fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.