ENGLISH – PHONICS 

Why do we teach what we teach? (Our intent)

We want our children to be fluent and confident readers with a love of books and reading.  At Oak Green we put reading at the heart of what we do.  We use a systematic approach in order to help all children to ‘achieve their potential’, not only across the curriculum but also in the wider world.

At Oak Green we are passionate about teaching phonics and implement exciting and interactive phonic sessions which engage all children.  We will:

• Provide a structured and systematic approach to the learning and teaching of phonics.
• Enable children to become fluent and confident readers with a strong phonological awareness.
• Develop a love of reading in all pupils.
• Adapt phonics according to the needs of pupils, as well as provide sufficient challenge to enabling all children to achieve success.

How do we teach it? (Our implementation)

To teach our children to read and write, we use a programme called Read Write Inc. enabling us to teach phonics systematically from EYFS to KS2.  In reception we

We make sure every child can read the last set of phonic books fluently before they progress to Comprehension and Spelling. Some children complete the programme in Year 1 and others in Year 2. KS2 children who need extra support follow this programme too through daily Fast Track Tutoring.

When teaching RWI phonics we group children by their reading progress for up to one hour a day and re-assess children every half-term so we can place them in the group where they’ll make the most progress.  Children learn to blend and segment with sounds that they are familiar with. This promotes confidence in word decoding, as well as being taught new sounds. Common exception words are also taught so that children can recognise them in the stories that they read. Repetition of stories helps to develop the children’s fluency of reading, so we send home RWI books weekly that match the children’s phonics level, to practise at home.

The Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is taken individually by all children in Year 1 in England. It is designed to give teachers and parents information on how their child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether a child needs additional support at this stage so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.

What is the difference that this makes? (Our impact)

Through our approach to teaching phonics our children are able to progress year-on-year at a pace appropriate to the learner. At Oak Green we enable our children to have developed detailed phonics knowledge and skills across the curriculum, be passionate and enthusiastic readers, writers and speakers and understand a broad range of vocabulary.