Phonics
Phonics Statement of Intent:
"To learn to read fluently, accurately and confidently. We know that reading is the key that unlocks the whole curriculum and enables them to access their learning. Therefore strong phonic knowledge and the ability to decode efficiently is essential to them becoming lifelong readers."Our Aims
“The best primary schools in England teach virtually every child to read, regardless of the social and economic circumstances of their neighbourhoods, the ethnicity of their pupils, the language spoken at home and most special educational needs or disabilities. Their success is based on a determination that every child will learn to read, together with a very rigorous and sequential approach to developing speaking and listening and teaching reading, writing and spelling through systematic phonics. This approach is applied with a high degree of consistency and sustained.” (Ofsted: Reading by Six. 2012)
Our principal aim is to develop the children’s phonological awareness, ability to segment and blend words and read common exception words on sight- to become fluent readers! Our teaching at all levels includes:
Consistency in the approach to teaching phonics throughout EY and KS1 and KS2 where appropriate
Rigorous planning, assessment, and tracking
Daily whole class, group and individual work
Tricky word vocabulary
Quality first teaching to support motivation
All staff are experts
We strive to ensure that all children leave our school reading and writing (including spelling) to the best of their ability. We aim that all children will have a good word recognition, language comprehension and they have a developed a lifelong love for reading.
Phonics at Lea Forest
Phonics is one of the many skills needed to become a reader and writer. We aim to give children the best possible start on their reading/writing journey by teaching them the essential phonological/phonemic skills and knowledge to decode and encode words independently from the outset. At the point of reading/writing, children will use phonics as their first strategy to read and spell unknown words until it is embedded and automatic for them. We recognise that the development of spoken language and the enjoyment and comprehension of quality literature go hand in hand to develop a lifelong love of reading and aim to nurture and develop these attributes alongside the phonics program.
At Lea Forest, we recognise the importance of a quality, well -structured phonics approach that gives children the essential skills to becoming a life-long reader. The teaching of phonics is based on Bug Club (an online learning environment) . Children in Early Years and Key Stage 1 receive daily phonics teaching which involves practising previously taught sounds, learning a new sound, reading and writing using the new sound and then an activity which allows them to apply all their reading and writing skills.
In Nursery children take part in a range of activities which are mainly adult led and listening skills are embedded so that pupils move confidently through the next 5 phases.
Children in Year 1 will complete the Phonic Screening Check during the summer term. We strive for all of our children to pass the Phonic Screening Check and additional support will be put in place for those children who require it. The children who do not achieve the pass mark in Year 1 will take the test in the following academic year, when they are in Year 2.
Helpful video clips made by our staff to be used at home:
Useful Links:
Updated February 2024