Phonics  

INTENT

Phonics at Cottesmore At Cottesmore, we truly value reading and we strive to ensure that all children become fluent, confident readers. We believe this is achievable through high quality, discrete phonics teaching, linked with a literate rich curriculum. Our aim is to develop children’s letter and sound recognition, blending and segmenting skills, spelling skills and word and sentence reading skills, building towards reading fluency. The program is carefully sequenced to build upon phonetic knowledge and skills. We believe that reading is an essential life skill and aim to equip our students to approach their future education or career as confident readers.

IMPLEMENTATION

The phonics curriculum is delivered in a systematic way. We follow the Read, Write, Inc. The program ensures precision teaching, based on children’s starting points and progress. Phonics lessons are daily in Reception and Year 1, as well as for those still continuing on the program in Year 2. Everything in our phonics program is taught in a specific order to ensure progression and to build upon skills acquired.
• Initial sounds are taught first, alongside blending and segmenting skills.
• ‘Special friends’ are introduced – two or more letters making one sound. ‘Red’ words (sight words that do not follow phonetic rules) are introduced.
• Sounds are categorised into Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds.
• Letter names are introduced with Set 3 sounds.

In Reception children are taught Set 1 sounds and blending skills as a whole class for the first 5 weeks of school. Following this, they are assessed to monitor progress and placed into streamed groups – Read Write Inc uses colours to name these groups. The streamed groups ensure that all children are taught at a level that provided new learning and new challenges daily. Previous sounds taught are continually consolidated and revised to ensure they are embedded fully. Precision teaching is delivered daily and in the same style by all reading leaders. This ensures consistency between groups as children may have different phonics teachers delivering their lesson throughout the year, but the format remains the same with no new routines to learn when they change group.

IMPACT

Children are assessed using Read, Write, Inc tools at least half termly, but more fluidly as reading teachers notice progress or if children are showing that they need further support. The specific assessment tool is used to place children in a colour group which outlines the content and skills that they need to acquire to be able to move on in their reading journey. Children who are noted to be making slower progress are offered 1.1 or group tutoring during class time to help them to keep up.
In Year 1, children take part in the national phonics screening check to assess their decoding skills. Those who do not pass the screening are given further support in Year 2. Children in Key Stage 2 needing further phonics support are also offered 1.1 or group tutoring to continue to build on their skills.

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