Phonics and Reading

At Hartley Primary Academy, we use Anima Phonics to teach children the phonics skills and knowledge they need to be able to become successful readers. Click here for a link to the Anima Phonics website.

More information about Anima Phonics

  • Anima Phonics combines stimulating online lessons, vibrant illustrations and engaging classroom materials to provide a simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic approach to the development of early reading.

  • The systematic, synthetic programme provides a well-balanced combination of teacher-led carpet sessions, interactive resources and printable activities for the children to work through in their daily lessons.

  • ​Our multimedia delivery allows children to physically engage with the lesson content.

  • Each new sound is introduced through a song or poem, with a corresponding mnemonic action.

  • Engaging illustrations on the classroom displays and flashcards provide an instant trigger for the sound and action, allowing for speedy recall when reading and writing.

  • ​In later units, as new elements of the alphabetic code are introduced, additional learning aids (frieze, flashcards, etc) are updated to ensure that resources used in the classroom always match the GPCs and progression of the programme.

  • Fully decodable texts are provided at every stage of the programme, ensuring children have opportunities for daily reading practice using the GPCs they have been taught.

  • Letter formation is taught alongside learning the new sound. Children must use different body parts for large scale ‘air-writing’, following Bee as she flies through the sky.

  • Our handwriting resources demonstrate correct letter formation, whilst daily writing activities throughout Reception and Key Stage 1 allow children to put their new skills into practice.

Reading in EYFS

  • Anima Phonics is taught daily.

  • Children will be sent home with a fully decodable book that matches the sounds that they have been learning.

  • They will also be able to take home a book of their own choosing in order to continue to foster a love for reading.

  • Those children who are struggling with their phonics will receive intervention sessions in order to help catch them back up as quickly as possible.

Reading in KS1

  • Anima Phonics continues throughout KS1.

  • Phonics is still taught daily.

  • As the children are taught to become more fluent readers, they will also be taught comprehension skills. In KS1, we use the ‘Pawsome’ Reading Gang to help teach skills of vocabulary, inference, predicting, retrieving, summarising, commentating and authorial intent.

Reading in KS2

  • Any children who are behind (for example, did not pass the Phonics screening in Year One or Two, or their reading age is significantly below their actual age) will continue to work in small groups on the Anima Phonics Scheme.

  • The ‘Reading Domain Dogs’ are continued to be used to teach specific reading skills throughout Key Stage Two.

  • A full comprehension lesson with a mix a reading skills is taught once per week. There will be shorter, more focussed reading sessions throughout the week as well.

  • Reading skills are interwoven throughout the entire curriculum and any opportunities for reading are exploited by class teachers.

Reading for pleasure and enjoyment

  • We are lucky to have an extremely well resourced library which is timetabled for use by each class every week.

  • We have, this year (2022-23) renewed our entire stock of books for the reading corner of every classroom – we now have beautiful, exciting, new books in every class for the children to enjoy.

  • Teachers or Teaching Assistants will spend time every day reading to their class.

  • Displays will reflect current and recommended reads.

  • The children will be encouraged to read at home and record this in their reading journals as well as take part in summer reading challenges.

  • Our children will also use their reading skills to help them develop their independent research skills.

Accelerated Reader Programme

  • We have been lucky enough to secure the funding to buy into the Accelerated Reader Programme. This is a programme that aims to further boost children's enjoyment of reading. All of our books will be levelled by the AR system. A child, once they have completed the phonics scheme of learning, chooses an appropriate book for their level of ability and reads it. Using an online device, they then complete quizzes and earn points! This can be done at home as well as at school.