Phonics at Christ Church

Phonics across Foundation Stage and Key Stage One

"Being able to read is the most important skill children will learn during their early schooling and has far teaching implications for life long confidence and well-being".

Letters and Sounds DfE 2007

At Christ Church, phonics is taught in reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in daily, whole class sessions. As a school, our phonics teaching follows Letters and Sounds teaching programme. 

In Reception class we teach from Phase 2 to Phase 4 across the academic year. In Year 1 we recap all of this learning before moving onto Phase 5 and in Year 2 children develop confidence with the spelling patterns in Phase 5 and progress onto the spelling and grammar requirements of the Year 2 National Curriculum.  We supplement Letters and Sounds with Jolly Phonics and PhonicsPlay to ensure all our children engage and make rapid progress in their phonic development. Class teachers regularly assess progress being made by individual children and additional support is given to individuals and groups where required. The Literary Curriculum that is the basis for our English lessons, further embeds the phonics learning in each lesson. 

Helpful Links to support your child:

www.phonicsplay.co.uk

https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/resource-bank/

Year 1 Phonics Screening

Children are tested at the end of Year 1 on their phonics knowledge. The National Phonics Screening Check requires pupils to read 20 real and 20 nonsense words to assess their ability to decode words phonetically. We call these nonsense words 'alien words' and children will practise these in their phonics lessons in Year R and Year 1. Any children who do not reach the expected standard receive additional phonics support in Year 2.