PHONICS AT ST. PATRICK’S
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read and write by blending and segmenting individual sounds. Written language is like a code. Knowing and being able to use the sounds represented by letters and groups of letters will enable children to be able to unlock this code and to become confident readers and writers.
You may like to watch this short video for more information about phonics.
Y1 Phonics Video UPDATED – YouTube
For more information on how to help your child with phonics please see Parents’ guides to Phonics
Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way, starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex, it is the most effective way of teaching children to read. At St. Patrick’s, we use a bespoke phonics programme in order to provide all children with high-quality phonics teaching. Our programme meets all the essential core criteria for effective systematic synthetic phonics teaching programmes as set out by the Department for Education.
HOW DOES OUR PROGRAMME MEET THE CRITERIA?
A complete SSP programme providing fidelity to its teaching framework
The St. Patrick’s Phonics programme is based on the teaching framework of Letters and Sounds. This teaching framework provides clear progression and a sequence for the introduction of grapheme-phoneme-correspondences (GPCs). All of our bespoke resources and chosen reading books are closely aligned to this teaching framework. All intervention sessions, for any children needing additional help, are closely aligned to the main programme and teaching sequence.
A programme that presents systematic synthetic phonic work as the prime approach to decoding print.
Our programme teaches phonics as the prime route reading unknown words and has a clear focus on progression in knowledge of GPCs.
A programme that starts early in Reception, and provides a structured route for most children to meet or exceed the expected standard in Year 1.
Our phonics programme begins in Reception, immediately after baseline assessments. The detailed programme, which covers all National Curriculum word decoding requirements, maps incremental progress expectations on a week-by-week basis. Our Phonics Screening Check results demonstrate that most children meet or exceed the expected standard for word decoding at the end of Year 1.
A programme designed for daily teaching sessions, which teaches the main grapheme-phoneme correspondences of English in a clearly defined, incremental sequence.
In the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, children take part in daily phonics sessions. These direct teaching sessions follow a clear structure and routine and are made up of familiar and limited activities, which maintain focus on the phonic goal.
A programme which introduces a defined group of GPCs that enable children to read and spell many words early on
Our phonics programme begins early in Reception, with the introduction of the most simple GPCs, and blending and segmenting are taught as reversible skills from the onset. One written representation for each of the 44 phonemes has been taught by 4th week of Spring term in Reception, enabling children to read and spell many words.
A programme offering progress from simple to more complex phonic knowledge and skills, cumulatively covering all the major GPCs in English.
Our clear, progressive teaching framework introduces GPCs progressively, introducing the concepts of “same phoneme, different grapheme” and then “same grapheme, different phoneme” from Y1. The bespoke KS2 Spelling programme builds on these skills and extends this phonic knowledge by introducing lesser-known GPCs, moving from simple to complex and common to rare GPCs and words.
A programme which teaches children to read printed words by blending individual phonemes, from left to right all through the word.
The St Patrick’s Phonics programme includes a strong focus on blending to read words, phrases and sentences made up of learned GPCs. These skills are taught through familiar activities, using consistent resources during our daily phonics sessions.
You can see some example videos of how we teach blending of words and phrases here.
https://youtu.be/dudBKSZpaz0 Blending to Read Words Video
https://youtu.be/dvRLeAE8L4Q Blending to Read Phrases Video
A programme which teaches children to apply the skill of segmenting spoken words into their constituent phonemes for spelling and that this is the reverse of blending phonemes to read words.
From the onset of the programme, early in Reception, blending and segmenting are taught as reversible skills.
You can see an example of how we teach these reversible skills here.
https://youtu.be/QGLaSVNt_8U Segmenting to Spell Video
Opportunities for children to practise and apply known GPCs for spelling through dictation of sounds, words and sentences.
The programme includes a strong focus on segmenting to spell and write words, phrases and sentences made up of learned GPCs. Prescriptive daily teaching sessions ensure phonics lessons are structured in a way that provides opportunities for children to apply their phonics skills of segmenting.
A programme that ensures the teaching of decoding and spelling common exception words, appropriate to children’s level of progress.
Introduction of common exception or ‘tricky’ words is included in the week-by-week progression. These words are taught through decoding and segmenting, noting the unfamiliar GPCs that make them ‘tricky’.
You can see how we teach the reading and spelling of common exception words here.
https://youtu.be/P6D28cwzRBQ Reading Tricky Words Video
https://youtu.be/7M8h-G5T6B4 Spelling Tricky Words Video
A programme that supports the teaching of lower-case and capital letters correctly, with clear start and finish points.
The teaching of lower-case letters is established alongside introduction of single-letter graphemes in Reception and progresses to introduce correct formation of capital letters discretely. Our programme then moves children on by teaching them to write words made up of learned GPCs, followed by simple sentences composed from such words as well as any common exception words learned. The programme includes a clear teaching sequence and progression for the introduction and teaching of handwriting joins (from the end of Y1 onwards). Consistent descriptions for letter formation are used throughout the school.
You can download our handwriting teaching sequence and movement descriptors here.
Handwriting Sequence and Movement Descriptors
A programme built around direct teaching sessions, with extensive teacher-child interaction and involving a multi-sensory approach.
Phonics lessons at St. Patrick’s follow a clear structure and routine and use consistent resources. Teaching sessions are made up of familiar and limited activities, which maintain focus on the phonic goal.
A programme with resources to enable teachers to deliver the programme effectively including sufficient decodable reading material.
Each phonics lesson follows a structured approach of set activities, using uniform resources. All books are fully decodable and are organised into phases and sub-sets which closely match the phonic progression of the programme. This ensures that, as children move through the early stages of acquiring phonic knowledge and skills, they can practise by reading texts closely matched to their level of phonic attainment, that do not require them to use alternative strategies to read unknown words.
You can find more information about our decodable reading books in the Reading at Home in Rec and KS1 section.
Guidance and resources to ensure children practise and apply the core phonics they have been taught.
Our bespoke programme details suitable familiar learning activities which maintain a phonic focus and are not over-elaborate. The focus and structure of these activities are provided for teachers in our year group PowerPoints and flashcards.
A programme that enables children’s progress to be assessed and highlights the ways in which it meets the needs of those who are at risk of falling behind, including the lowest attaining 20% of children.
The St. Patrick’s Phonics programme maps incremental progress expectations on a week-by-week basis, enabling frequent and focussed assessment for learning. This allows for any children, identified as needing extra support to keep-up with their peers, to receive daily intervention. Regular assessment points are built into programme. Assessments take place using a real-time online assessment package, tailored to match our bespoke programme. Results are recorded and tracked to enable staff to identify and address individual and class gaps. Extra intervention sessions are in place for children needing to close gaps.
Full guidance for teachers to support the effective delivery of the programme and appropriate, programme-specific training
At St. Patrick’s, we consider the teaching of phonics to be of utmost importance and, as such, are committed to regular whole-staff phonics CPD. We are privileged to be able to offer this CPD in-house, led by our English lead who holds Advanced Skills Teacher and Specialist Leader in Education status. A staff coaching and development programme for phonics teaching is in place.
