At Manor Court Community Primary School the intent of our phonics program is to build a strong foundation in reading and writing skills for all pupils through a structured and systematic approach that develops phonic knowledge effectively. For children to develop as competent readers and writers, it is essential that they have a secure understanding of the letter sounds and spelling system of the English language. Phonics skills are developed through planned, systematic lessons which then lead to the enjoyment of a variety of books, the appreciation of different genres and the ability to access information independently.
At our school we follow Jolly Phonics from the Early years through KS1 and into KS2 where needed. The programme focuses on securing word recognition skills, essential for children to decode (read) and encode (spell) words accurately and language comprehension. The approach is systematic, consistent and rigorous and is carefully structured into developmental phases, allowing all children to become readers as quickly as possible. The Jolly Phonics simple actions and songs help the children to grasp the letter sounds quickly. Careful monitoring of teaching and planning ensures fidelity to the Jolly Phonics scheme.
The sessions are delivered to ensure participation and engagement resulting in high- quality phonic work on a daily basis to help practitioners and teachers ensure that by the end of Key Stage 1 children develop fluent word reading skills and good foundations in spelling.
High-quality phonic teaching secures the crucial skills of word recognition that, once mastered, enables children to read fluently and automatically. Once children are fluent readers, they are able to concentrate on the meaning of the text. Children need to acquire secure and automatic decoding skills and progress from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ for purpose and pleasure. The ultimate goal of learning to read is comprehension. As children develop into fluent readers teachers ensure the books they are reading are decodable to their phonics level.
Children in EYFS and Yr 1 will have phonics sessions every day. EYFS children will also have enhanced phonic activities within the indoor and outdoor environment available for the children to explore independently throughout the day. Year 2 and above teach will continue to teach phonics through the scheme leading into spelling rules. We deliver high-quality one-to-one and small group intervention for those who require additional support, including those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Our staff is skilled in providing tailored provision to meet the needs of individuals, ensuring that they keep pace with their peers in literacy development at all stages.
All pupils in Foundation Stage and Yr 1 are assessed at appropriate intervals (half termly) as they progress using the Jolly phonics assessment. Children not passing the phonics screening test will also be assessed using the jolly phonics assessment.
During daily sessions of phonics there are also opportunities for teachers and practitioners to regularly assess children’s understanding.
Outside the discrete daily phonics sessions there are opportunities to observe the application of phonic skills, e.g. during guided/ shared reading. The children in Year 1 and, for some children, Year 2, are also regularly assessed using past phonics screen materials in order to prepare them for the Year 1 assessment.
Regular monitoring of the assessment outcomes allows teachers, leaders and practitioners to ensure that all children are making expected progress. This information is also used to identify children who are not making expected progress and therefore early intervention can be put in place.
Every Year 1 child in the Summer term will take a Phonics Screening Check. This is phonics based check where children will be expected to read 40 simple, de-codable words including nonsense, or alien, words. This is a progress check to identify those children not at expected level in their reading. Children will be rechecked in Year 2 if they do not reach the expected level. Any child working below the level of the screen check may be dis-applied, with the acknowledgment of the parent/carer.
Through careful monitoring and tracking, teachers and practitioners are able to identify children who are not making the expected progress and therefore need intervention to catch up. Depending on the needs of individuals, this may include additional individual or small group tutoring. It is important that children who are struggling to learn to read not only need to catch up with their peers, but also to continue to make progress.
Our aim at Manor Court Community Primary School is that every child’s needs are catered for and every child is given the chance to succeed and become a competent reader. It is our aim to give every child the opportunity to experience success in learning and to be the best that they can be. Teachers aim to include all pupils fully in their daily phonic lessons. All children benefit from participating in watching, and listening to other children demonstrating and explaining their ideas. Differentiated work, appropriate to individual children’s needs, is provided in the independent work during the day and also during intervention sessions. S.E.N.D pupils have Learning Passports, APDR documents and IEPs, which may include specific literacy targets to be addressed during phonics lessons. Teachers, leaders and support staff are aware of the lowest 20% of children in each class and additional interventions and support are put in place for those children.