Phonics

At Yealmpstone Farm Primary School we look to embed phonics from the moment the children enter the school as part of their everyday experiences on their journey to reading and writing. Phonics is taught daily in EYFS and KS1. Children sit a phonics screening check in Year 1 and are sometimes retested in Year 2. Children with barriers to learning or significant gaps in their phonological understanding are given further assistance with phonics in KS2. Phonics does naturally however progress into spellings which is taught as soon as children can use phonics to make their first word! 

At Yealmpstone Farm Primary School we teach phonics using the Read Write Inc. synthetic phonics programme.

What is synthetic phonics?

When your child is learning to read there are two crucial things to learn:

• the sounds represented by written letters,
• how to blend the sounds together to make words,
• Synthetic Phonics is a way of teaching reading.

Children are taught to read letters or groups of letters by saying the sound(s) they represent – so, they are taught that the letter l sounds like llllll when we say it. Children can then start to read words by blending (synthesising) the sounds together to make a word.

The link below will take you to a collection of very useful videos on how to pronounce the sounds (phonemes) we use to make words. It is really important for parents to know how to help their child read using the correct sounds so please spend some time watching the videos and ‘Say the sound’ app.

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/reading-at-home/phonics-made-easy/

How to use phonics to help you read with your child

If you click on the link below you will find a video aimed at parents wanting to know how best to support their child with their reading. There are also many other resources linked to reading and how to pronounce the phonemes etc.

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/reading-at-home/starting-to-read-ages-4-5/

The sounds your children will learn will depend on their phonic stage but as a general guide:

Reception start by learning single set 1 sounds, then later move onto learning special friends (2 single sounds that make 1 sound together).
Later on in the year or when they are ready, they will start to learn set 2 sounds (special friends made up of 2 or more single sounds). 
In Years 1 and 2 children will continue to learn set 2 and set 3 sounds.
The children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their ability. They will work with a RWI trained teacher or teaching assistant. 
For more information on the Read Write Inc phonics programme and how you can support your child's reading journey see the links below:

•    Parent guide to Read Write Inc phonics
•    Ruth Miskin Website
•    Parent guide to year 1 phonics screening