Phonics

The Intent of Phonics at Kirkburton CE First School

At Kirkburton First School we are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident and fluent reader as soon as possible. We understand the vital role that phonics plays in creating a solid foundation of early reading, that build’s the children’s skills in decoding and blending graphemes and phonemes in order to read new and unfamiliar words. We also recognise the role that Phonics plays in supporting children to develop their abilities to segment words in order to develop their abilities with spelling.

Our intent in teaching Phonics is to provide a structured, systematic and engaging approach to early reading following the Little Wandle Phonics programme, validated by the Department for Education. This is used across EYFS and Key Stage 1 for the teaching of daily phonics lessons, spelling lessons and early reading, and where required, some children in Key Stage 2 will continue to be supported using the program until they become fluent with reading. We believe that high-quality phonics teaching is essential for laying the foundations of literacy, enabling all pupils to access the wider curriculum and develop a lifelong love of reading.

At Kirkburton First School, the children start learning Phonics right from the very beginning of their time in Reception. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework identifies Literacy as one of the four specific areas of learning and development. The Early Learning Goals (ELG) lay out the level of development children should be expected to have reached by the end of the EYFS.

The ELGs for Literacy, specifically for Word Reading state:

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonics knowledge, including some common exception words.

As children move into Year 1, they follow the National Curriculum Programme of Study for Key Stages 1 and 2. The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• Appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

In specific relation to Reading, the National Curriculum states:

Skilled word reading involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Underpinning both is the understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words. This is why phonics should be emphasised in the early teaching of reading to beginners (i.e. unskilled readers) when they start school.

The Implementation of Phonics at Kirkburton CE First School

What do Phonics lessons look like?

All lessons follow a very similar structure, as detailed in the Little Wandle Programme. These lessons follow a three-part structure – Revisit and Review; Teach and Practise; Practise and Apply. The Revisit and Review element of the lesson provides children with an opportunity to revise previously taught GPCs and tricky words. As children move through the Teach and Practise element, new GPCs are introduced (generally one per lesson) at the appropriate phase and children learn how to apply these GPCs through oral blending and the reading of new words. New tricky words will be introduced within this element of the lesson. Finally, the children have the opportunity to Practise and Apply the newly taught GPC through the reading and writing of sentences and through the spelling of new words.

How are lessons planned?

Planning is provided through the Little Wandle scheme. Staff follow the planning as outlined in the scheme and teach at a level that is matched to the need of the class. During consolidation weeks, where no planning is provided through the scheme, staff plan focus work on specific GPCs that they know the children need further support with, still following the same lesson structure.

How often is Phonics taught?

Phonics is taught as a whole class lesson on a daily basis in both Reception and Year 1. Some children in other year groups who have also been identified as requiring further support with Phonics are also taught a daily lesson in a small group.

Any children who are identified as needing additional support or who may be at risk of falling behind with Phonics are placed on Keep-up Interventions. These tend to take place 2-3 times per week, in addition to the daily phonics lesson.

The Reading Practice Sessions, which are matched directly with each individual child’s Phonic assessment take place three times per week, with all children in Reception and Year 1 reading with an adult in a small group. Some children in other year groups who require further support with early reading also participate in Reading Practice sessions.

How are lessons resourced?

The lessons are resources using the accredited Big Cat resources which were produced in partnership with Little Wandle. In September 2021, Kirkburton First School invested in multiple sets of brand new resources so that a full set of Phonic resources is available for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and two additional sets are available for interventions.

The school also invested in the Big Cat Phonic Books published in partnership with Little Wandle. These are used during the Reading Practice Sessions, and are matched to the children’s most recent Phonic assessment. For their home reading books, children take home both the Big Cat Phonic book that they have read in school that week, along with an additional phonics book that is given to them from the school’s existing supply of books. All of these books have been closely matched to the different phonics phases.

The Impact of Phonics at Kirkburton First School

Assessment in Phonics

Children are assessed on a summative basis at the end of each half term by the school’s Phonics Coordinator to ensure they are making expected progress. These assessments are then shared with all relevant staff members and future lessons are delivered accordingly. Children’s reading books are also changed in relation to their phonic assessment and intervention groups are altered.

Formative assessment also takes place on a daily basis, with staff taking note of children who may be struggling with a particular GPC and with a particular phase. This happens during daily phonics lessons, but also through the Reading Practice Sessions, where staff leading the group may identify a child who has struggled with a particular GPC. Any children identified in this way as needing further support may be added into an intervention group if it is deemed they would benefit from more regular support.

All children in Year 1 take part in the National Phonics Screening Check, which takes place annually in June. This is done on a 1:1 basis with a familiar adult, usually the school’s Phonics Coordinator, and is another way that staff identify any children who may need further support, or who may be having particular difficulty with specific GPCs.

Lesson Monitoring and Pupil Voice

Lesson drop-ins are conducted by the subject coordinator to ensure that standards and expectations laid out in this document are consistently being met. The subject coordinator undertakes discussions with pupils to help gauge the children’s understanding and enjoyment of Phonics. These are occasionally done on a formal basis, but are done more so on an informal basis with the children when the summative assessments take place.