Statement of Intent
At St Joseph’s we believe it is vital that your child finds learning to read a rewarding, successful and enjoyable experience. We teach early reading skills using the Sounds Write phonics programme. This programme is highly successful in teaching children to read and spell because it starts with what all children know from a very young age – speech sounds. Then, using a very systematic approach, it teaches them how these sounds are coded within our writing system.
The four key concepts children need to learn are:
- letters are symbols that represent sounds
- sounds can be spelled using 1, 2, 3 or 4 letters
- the same sound can be spelled in different ways
- the same spelling can represent different sounds
The three keys skills children need to master are:
- blending
- segmenting
- phoneme manipulation
Children in our Foundation Stage begin with the Initial Code where they practice all 3 key skills whilst learning the 1:1 sound-spelling correspondences, securing their understanding that letters are symbols that represent sounds. This builds up trust in a truly reversible system, enabling them to decode and encode a wide range of words and sentences. At first, children learn to read and write simple one syllable words with a CVC structure. Complexity of word structure systematically builds up so that children apply their code knowledge to monosyllabic words with up to 6 sounds.
Once the Initial Code has been mastered, children continue to practice all key skills whilst learning the Extended Code which explores key concepts 2, 3 and 4.
Sounds Write sessions are taught each day to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Phonics Screening Check
What is the phonics screening check?
The phonics screening check is an assessment to confirm whether individual children have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard.
It will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support to improve their reading skills. The will then be able to retake the check test so that schools can track them until they are able to decode.
Who is it for?
The screening check is for all Year 1 pupils – and children in Year 2 who previously did not meet the standard of the check in Year 1.
The link below will take you to the DfE information page about the check, should you have any questions, as always you can come into see your child’s class teacher.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statutory-phonics-screening-check
Useful Information (click on links to access websites)
Sounds-Write is a phonics programme based on the science of reading. This multisensory, comprehensive approach to literacy has been designed by teachers.
