Phonics and Early Reading

At Langley Moor Primary, we endeavour to ensure all children become successful, fluent readers and writers by the end of Key Stage One. We believe children can achieve this through a combination of strong, high quality, discrete phonics lessons combined with daily opportunities to practise fundamental reading and writing skills. 

In school, we teach children to read using the Read Write Inc. phonics programme. 

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a DfE-validated systematic synthetic phonics programme with a whole school approach to teaching early reading and writing, designed to ensure progress for every child. Children learn to read sounds and blend them into words. They apply this phonic knowledge to read and comprehend books that are carefully matched to the sounds they know. Read Write Inc. lessons are systematic, full of energy and enjoyment. Children are taught the first sounds to developing fluency and comprehension whilst reading engaging stories that reflect real life. Children are provided with high quality teaching and reading books that help them decode successfully and confidently in order to become fluent readers. They also learn how to form letters using mnemonics to help them. Children learn to spell correctly using their Fred fingers. 

We understand the importance of teaching children to read as quickly as possible in order to help them enjoy and achieve to their full potential. Decoding words phonologically as an initial strategy helps develop confident early readers, ensuring children experience success in reading from the beginning of their reading journey. We teach phonics alongside our a rich reading curriculum to ensure that our children can apply efficient decoding skills to read unknown texts, whilst developing a love of reading.

PROGRESSION INFORMATION: 

• RWI Overview - Books and GPCs
• RWI Overview of Letter Sounds
• RWI Progression Overview

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS:

The Phonics Screening Check

The Phonics Screening Check usually takes place at the beginning of June when children are in Year 1. This check consists of 40 words that children have to blend and read. If your child is unsuccessful at passing the phonics screening check in Year 1, they have another opportunity to take the test in Year 2.

What is the phonics screening check?

This is a quick check of how the children have responded to phonics as a strategy for developing their ability to read. It is a statutory requirement, and it involves your child decoding words using only their phonic knowledge. It helps us to confirm whether they have met the expected standard for a child at the end of Year 1.

How does the check work?

• Your chid is asked to read 40 words aloud to a teacher who is known to them.
• Your child may have read some of the words before, while others will be new and unknown.
• The check should only take a few minutes to complete; however, there is no time limit.

Meeting the expected standard

The check is scored out of 40 and the pass mark in the past has been out of 32. This may change.

If your child does not achieve 32 marks or more, they will be given additional support in phonics to help them to improve.