Phonics

William Stockton school has a continued prioritisation of Reading as a fundamental part of our school improvement focus.

The teaching of phonics begins in Nursery and Reception using 'Synthetic Systematic Phonics.'

 We use the 'Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Programme'

We believe in the earliest start possible.

Words are made up from small units of sounds called phonemes. Phonics teaches children to be able to listen carefully, understand the alphabetic code and identify the phonemes and graphemes that make up each word. This helps children to learn to read words and to spell words. Children can then use this knowledge to 'decode' new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step to read. Children then apply their phonics knowledge by using a fully matched decodable reading book in a small reading practice session.

Phonics, when taught in a structured way, is the most effective way of teaching children to read.

Phonics at William Stockton is taught daily.

Pupils are NEVER given books they can't decode and the resources used both in school and at home for the children are effectively ordered and linked to the sound they are learning. Children will only move on when decoding is assured. Some children, but not all, will need support. This will be as soon as possible. Children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) will receive profiling as soon as possible when joining the school, in the year group that they join. 
Senior Leaders at the school prioritise sufficient time to training for all staff to ensure the teaching and learning of phonics is better than good.

Practicing Phonics at Home

The best phonics resources are ordinary reading books. The books that school sends home are matched to the phonics sounds your child is learning. 

They will also be sent home a book for 'shared reading' for you to share and read with your child. Make sure you set aside quiet time for reading and enjoying books together. This book is not for your child to read alone.

The Phonics Screening Check

During the Summer term in Year 1, children nationwide are tested on their phonic knowledge. This test helps us to identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and may need further support in Year 2. The test is low-key and we endeavour to make it stress-free for the children. Essentially, the children are asked to read 40 words from a list, using their phonics to ‘sound out’ the word and then blend it if they need to. Parents are informed as to whether their child has achieved the national expectation within the child’s end-of-year report. 

If children fall behind or have difficulties we ensure speedy ‘catch up’ sessions in Year 2 to help them be well prepared for Y3. This catch up also continues if necessary into the junior years.

Click on the link to find out more about the way we teach phonics: