Phonics - Our Intent - Pheasant Bank Academy

Phonics

For pupils who require further support with their phonics, we use the Read Write Inc (RWI) Phonics Programme. Teachers follow structured lessons as part of this programme. The sounds are taught progressively; Set 1, Set 2 and Set 3 sounds. Each sound is introduced with a short rhyme and picture to make the sound memorable. These can be found at the bottom of this page.

Red words are also taught. These are words that cannot be sounded out and have tricky letters. These words need to be taught to be read on sight.

On entry, we assess all pupils using our RWi assessment to ensure they receive appropriate reading support. Children on the phonics program attend two sessions per day, either as a small group or 1:1 tutoring.

In Read Write Inc. Phonics pupils:

• Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills

• Read common exception words on sight

• Understand what they read

• Read aloud with fluency and expression

• Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar

• Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words

• Acquire good handwriting.

In addition, we teach pupils to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. This provides the teacher with opportunities to assess learning and to pick up on difficulties, such as pupils’ poor articulation, or problems with blending or alphabetic code knowledge.

We group pupils homogeneously, according to their progress in reading rather than their writing. This is because it is known that pupils’ progress in writing will lag behind progress in reading, especially for those whose motor skills are less well developed.

We make sure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and the common exception words. This is so that, early on, they experience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Re-reading and discussing these books with the teacher supports their increasingly fluent decoding.

We have invested significantly in training reading teachers to deliver RWi phonics and continue to work alongside specialist teachers from the trust and RWi representatives to ensure our practice is based on the most up-to-date research.