Reading and Phonics
Our Phonics Lead is Mrs Jones.
Intent
At Sunny Bank Primary School, we aim to provide high quality teaching and learning experiences which result not only in the children becoming skilled and fluent readers, but also in them developing a lifelong love of reading.
We follow the Read, Write, Inc programme of study. Read, Write, Inc is a systematic approach to teaching and developing early reading and writing skills. Our children are immersed in an environment which is rich in sounds and vocabulary right from Reception, which ensures that they are prepared with the necessary resources and strategies for reading from the very start of their learning journey.
Read, Write, Inc starts by initially teaching children Set One letter sounds and gradually develops as children progress into Reception and Year One by incorporating elements of guided reading, spelling strategies and structured writing.
Implementation
The systematic teaching of phonics has a high priority at Sunny Bank. Phonics is taught daily to all children in EYFS and Year 1 and to those children in Year 2 who have not yet passed the phonics screening check in Year 1 or completed the Read, Write, Inc phonics programme.
Please see below for our Long Term Plan. From time to time, this plan may change as teachers adapt the learning to suit the needs of the children.
| Name | |
|---|---|
| SBS Progression of Skills in Reading.pdf | Download |
Parental Support for Phonics
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Handwriting phrases to help your child form letters.pdf | Download |
| Read Write Inc parent faqs.pdf | Download |
| Reading at home booklet 1.pdf | Download |
| Reading at home booklet 2.pdf | Download |
| RWI set 1 flashcards.pdf | Download |
| RWI set 2 flashcards.pdf | Download |
| Ten top tips for reading with your child.pdf | Download |
Children are encouraged to transfer the skills they learn in phonics sessions into their independent reading and writing, including in continuous provision in EYFS. We believe continuous provision is a vital aspect in the development of essential knowledge and skills in phonics. This means that children are using and developing taught skills throughout the curriculum consistently. Phonics displays are visible in each classroom (from EYFS to Year 4) and in each group room across the school; the children are encouraged to use these to support their reading and writing in all lessons across the curriculum. Children are assessed every half term and are grouped according to their progress in reading. In addition, some pupils receive more regular assessments to ensure that adequate progress is being made.
Through our phonics programme, children are taught to:
- decode letter/sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills
- read ‘tricky’ (red words) fluently on sight
- comprehend 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
Impact
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.
By the time children leave Sunny Bank, we aspire for them to be fluent, confident and able readers who can access a range of texts for both pleasure and enjoyment, who can recommend books to their peers, have a thirst for reading a range of genres including poetry, and participate in discussions about books. They can also use their reading skills to unlock learning in all areas of the curriculum. We firmly believe that reading is the key to all learning and so the impact of our reading curriculum goes beyond the results of the statutory assessment.