Phonics
At Thornden Wood, we use the DfE validated scheme Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) to deliver our daily phonics sessions. Phonics is taught as a whole class session with opportunities for the children to apply what they have learnt in different sessions such as Guided Reading, Book Talk and writing in different curriculum areas. The progression of this scheme ensures that children are exposed to the 42 main letter sounds, including digraphs, trigraphs and split digraphs with the use of rhymes and visual prompts to help with letter formation. The sounds are taught in a specific order, not alphabetical, as this provides them with the skills to start building words quickly. In addition to this, the children are taught how to read and write ‘Harder to Read and Spell Words’ often referred to as Common Exception Words as they do not allow the children to decode the word using their phonics knowledge.
In Foundation Stage the children are introduced to Phase 2 and 3 sounds, whilst still working on the Phase 1 listening skills through their daily sessions. The children have access to phonics in their inside and outside learning environments. When the children are secure in Phase 2 and 3 they move onto using these phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters) to build words in Phase 4 and some of the introductory Phase 5 sounds in the summer term.
Year 1 builds on the progress the children have already made in EYFS. To begin with, they will recap the Phase 2 and 3 phonemes before moving on and consolidating the Phase 5 sounds. In the summer terms, they are introduced to alternative spellings and pronunciations of some of the phonemes they already know. In Year 1 the children are also prepared for and supported to be able to complete the National Phonics Screening Check. This involves the children reading a range of real and nonsense words by using their segmenting and blending skills (sounding out and sticking back together the words).
Year 2 again allows the children to consolidate their alternative spelling rules in the autumn term before moving onto the ELS Essential Spellings in preparation for moving into Key Stage 2.
intent implementation and impact document phonics.pdf
Useful websites
www.oxfordowl.co.uk - children in EYFS and KS1 will have logins to this website to access online reading books
www.phonicsplay.co.uk - has some free games to help with sight recall and blending skills of real and nonsense words, but you can also buy membership
ictgames.com - free games to help with different skills within English and Maths
essentiallettersandsounds.org/parents - has videos to help with the pronunciation of pure sounds
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks - short video clips and games that encourage the children to recognise different sounds
