Phonics

Phonics

Subject Leader: Rebecca Brown

Shadow Lead: Alex Green

Intent - What are we trying to achieve? 

At St Michael & St Martin school, we aim for our pupils to develop a love of reading as soon as they start their school journey. Phonics is a key strategy that supports the development of early reading skills. At St Michael and Martin we combine quality phonic instruction with exposure to a range of texts and the promotion of reading for pleasure to provide our children with the skills they need to have a successful start to their lives as readers.

We believe that developing reading skills early allows our children to learn and grow within our curriculum. Reading helps us to acquire new knowledge and understand the world. It is through reading that we access all other subjects which makes phonics vital.

Implementation - How is the curriculum being delivered? 

At St Michael and Martin, we follow the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ programme.

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a whole-school approach to teaching literacy for children aged 4 to 9 that creates fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers. The lessons provide partner work, writing, grammar, spelling, exposure to lots of challenging vocabulary, handwriting and it integrates phonics with comprehension. Phonics is taught daily in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

During the sessions we use pure sounds ('m' not 'muh', 's' not 'suh') so that your child will be able to blend the sounds into words with ease.  

Each session allows time to:

• Review previous learning
• Teach a new phonics skill
• Practise their new skill
• Apply this skill in reading and writing
• Assess progress made

Alongside phonics, children in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 have regular reading lessons, story time and opportunities for Speaking and Listening throughout the day. 

Impact - What difference is the curriculum making? 

✓ Monitoring of staff lesson shows strong evidence of staff subject knowledge and teacher modelling of writing. 

✓ All learning is matched appropriately to the age group being taught. 

✓ All reading books are matched to the sounds being taught 

✓ Children are regularly assessed and put into an appropriate group to suit ability 

✓ Our pupils’ work in books consistently shows evidence of opportunities for applying skills in a range of purposes for writing. 

✓ Children are prepared year on year for the next step in their writing and reading education. 

✓ Implementation of whole class reading sessions have had a positive impact on progress and outcomes in KS2.

If you visited a Phonics lesson at St Michael’s you would see: 

• Phonics Speed Sound charts to aid learning 

• Learners engaged in meaningful activities – speed sounds, speedy green words, story green words, red (tricky) words, hold a sentence, partner practise reading the books, spelling rules 

• Opportunities for learners to apply new skills through writing and reading time 

• Children answering comprehension questions using full sentences and evidence to support their answers

• A wide range of vocabulary being used 

Pupil Voice

‘I enjoy having fun learning to read with Fred the Frog. He helps us to spell words’  - Cody, Reception

‘Miss Green makes our lessons so much fun and we learn to read really quickly’ - Fayble, Year 1

‘We are so lucky to read lots of different books each week and we love answering tricky questions about what happened. We also meet different characters and talk about them’ - Maeve, Year 2 

How does Phonics at St Michael and St Martin Catholic Primary School promote our school ‘STRIVE’ values? 

Spiritual - In our school, the Read Write Inc scheme fosters spiritual growth by instilling a love for language and communication, nurturing empathy and understanding towards others.

Thinking - Furthermore, the structured and systematic approach of Read Write Inc promotes fantastic thinking, stimulating curiosity and problem-solving skills as children explore the intricate patterns and sounds of phonics.

Resilience - The resilience demonstrated by our teachers and staff in implementing the Read Write Inc approach empowers both educators and students to overcome challenges, fostering a growth mindset and a culture of perseverance in phonics learning.

Independence - As pupils engage with the Read Write Inc program, they demonstrate independence by actively participating in phonics activities, taking ownership of their learning journey and building confidence in their reading and writing skills.

Valued - We ensure that all learners, regardless of their abilities, feel valued and supported in their phonics learning, creating an inclusive environment where every child's progress is celebrated and recognised. 

Empathetic - Moreover, the Read Write Inc scheme cultivates empathy among pupils as they learn to appreciate the diversity of language and communication styles, fostering a sense of community and respect for others' experiences and backgrounds.