Phonics teaching and learning at Avonmouth CE Primary
At Avonmouth C of E Primary School and Nursery we use Unlocking Letters and Sounds which was validated by the DfE in December 2021.
We begin teaching phonics in the first few weeks of term 1 in Reception. Children begin to learn the main sounds heard in the English Language and how they can be represented, as well as learning ‘Common Exception’ words for Phases 2, 3 and 4 (see below). They use these sounds to read and write simple words, captions and sentences. Children leave Reception being able to apply the phonemes taught within Phase 2, 3 and 4 (see below).
Pupils in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Year 1 have short, focused, daily phonics sessions using Unlocking Letters and Sounds. In Year 2, children follow the Phase 5 Mastery Unit throughout the Autumn Term, finishing at Christmas. If children entering Key Stage 2 need ongoing support with their phonics, we continue to give input that is appropriate for them.
In Year 1 through Phase 5a, b and c, they learn any alternative spellings and pronunciations for the graphemes and additional Common Exception Words. By the end of Year 1 children will have mastered using phonics to decode and blend when reading and segment when spelling. In Year 1, all children are screened using the national Phonics Screening Check (see below for more information).
In Year 2, phonics continues to be revisited to ensure mastery of the phonetic code and any child who does not meet age-related expectations will continue to receive support to close identified gaps.
Every child in EYFS and KS1 reads with an adult once a week (for EYFS this may include sharing picture books until children have reached Phase 2 Set 1) and the lowest 20% will be targeted for extra 1 to 1 reading. Every child will also be put into small Guided Reading groups and they will receive 20 minutes of guided reading every day. The books and lesson plans have been created by ULS and the children will be reading books based on their phonetic ability.
To ensure no child is left behind at any point in the progression, children are regularly assessed and supported to keep up through bespoke 1-1 interventions. These include GPC recognition and blending and segmenting interventions. The lowest attaining 20% of pupils are closely monitored to ensure these interventions have an impact.
Parents information for Unlocking Letters and Sounds
Common Exception Words (CEW) for Phase 2, 3 and 4
Phonics Screening Check information