- The National Curriculum requires schools to teach children to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words.
- At Millbrook, we use the Floppy’s Phonics scheme. It is a rigorous and systematic scheme which teaches the letter-sound correspondences of the English alphabetic code explicitly and comprehensively for reading and spelling.
- Our levelled reading books are closely aligned to our Phonics teaching. Children become familiar with the characters from the stories both through Phonics lessons and their reading books.
- In Reception to Year 2, children have discrete, daily Phonics sessions where they are introduced to new phonemes, explore, practise and revise previous learning and have plenty of opportunities to apply the knowledge they have.
- There is also a weekly session for teaching the reading and spelling of non-phonetically decodable words (called ‘Helpful Words’ in the Floppy’s scheme).
- From Y3 to Y6, Phonics interventions continue where necessary using Code X which is an engaging, age-appropriate scheme. Children continue to have access to classroom resources that link to the phonemes and graphemes previously taught.
- Whilst Phonics is taught discretely, it is integral to our teaching of reading and writing throughout the curriculum.
- Our Phonics sessions promote active learning, through the use of the Interactive Whiteboard, carpet time, worksheets, songs and games.
- Children are supported by classroom resources
- Word mats
- Phonics displays
- Common Exception Word lists
- The Alphabetic Code poster
- Helpful Word poster
- All Year 1 children take the Phonics Screening Check.
- In EYFS and Y1, children’s written Phonics work is collected into Phonics folders and books.
- Every other day, KS1 children complete a consolidation worksheet.
- In addition, children’s written work reflects their Phonics learning.
- All written work is marked in line with the GPCs that have been covered up to that point. Children’s writing is encouraged to be phonetically plausible.
- Children are engaged and involved in all Phonics sessions.
- Children develop a love of reading and are encouraged by their growing fluency in reading.
- Children’s phonetical understanding is evident in their writing.
- We aim for the majority of children to be fluent readers by the end of KS1.