Phonics Curriculum Statement

Acorn Phonics

Empowering Learners...Growing Minds

 

We aim to...

Empowering Learners

• Secure knowledge allows children to become fluent readers

Growing Minds

• Deliver phonics through a high-quality phonics programme and consistently implement it to equip children with the skills they need to decode and become fluent readers.
• Provide well match books
• Ensure children keep up not catch up, but provide immediate intervention to ensure no one if left behind.
• Ensure that the highest number of pupils successfully pass the phonics screening.

 

Our ethos is 'KEEP UP not CATCH UP'

Implementation

Nursery Phonics

It is expected that Nursery will introduce Phase 1 phonics through small, focused groups and activities. This includes learning to make different sounds and developing listening skill. The key is developing vocabulary, language composition with the early introduction of graphemes (letters) and phonemes (sounds) When appropriate, the practitioners will then introduce the initial sounds and may begin to teach digraphs.

Reception Phonics

In the Reception Class we will revise all letter sounds and learn new digraphs and trigraphs. At this stage the children are also becoming more confident with segmenting and blending sounds to read whole words. In the Reception class children are also taught words with 4 and 5 sounds in them and alternate ways to read and write different sounds. Assessments take place every 5 weeks to ensure pupils are retaining their learning and building fluency and automaticity (automatic reading skills) to ensure confident readers. We offer two lesson Phonics into reading and Phonics into spelling daily.

Year 1 - 2 Phonics

The same approach as Reception continues into Year 1 and 2 to offer a consistent approach. The children learn to read and write a range of graphemes and alternate graphemes. Alongside this the children are taught the ‘tricky words’ – high frequency words which do not follow the regular phonetic pattern and are an exception to the phonetic code.

Phonics and reading activities are taught in whole class and small group situations 2 x per day. Your child will work with children who are at the same phonic and/or reading level to ensure fluency and automaticity. This is so that the teaching can be focussed on their needs. Discreet phonic sessions take place daily for 15 - 20 minutes and there are also enhanced phonic activities within the indoor and outdoor environment available for the children to explore independently throughout the day. Phonics provision is also supplemented by a wide range of speaking and listening, English, spelling and grammar activities.

Year 3 - 6 Phonics

If pupils are not where we expect in reading, due to poor decoding or fluency, then the teaching of synthetic phonics continue. This approach ensures that the gaps pupils have in learning are rapidly closed to allow them to become confident, fluent readers to further develop their comprehension skills. Each half term the pupils assessments will be used to plan the next steps in learning to ensure all pupils 'Keep up' and no pupils have to 'Catch up.

Impact

We assess children progress regularly, so that any gaps can be quickly identified. Using a regular assessment cycle, alongside daily in-class assessments ensures that we know where every child is. The Diagnostic Assessment allows us to identify a gap in children’s knowledge or understanding, or to assess new starters, to ensure that we can support them to make rapid progress and consolidate their skills and understanding.

Assessments occur in the fifth week of each half term, to allow all members of staff to target and close any gaps that may be present in either sound knowledge or reading skills. By undertaking assessment in the fifth week, it enables us to action an intervention immediately. There are six assessments for each year of the taught programme. Assessment is tracked on the online ELS tracker.

 

Phonics Progressions