Phonics: taught 4 x a week in 20 minutes sessions

The Letters and Sounds programme focuses on children learning word building/word recognition skills as these are essential for children to read and spell words accurately with ease. Letters and Sounds enable children to see the relationship between reading and spelling from an early stage, such that the teaching of one reinforces understanding of the other. Reading and spelling are treated as reversible processes. The Jolly Phonics approach is used Key Stage 1 which means our children learn actions for each sound.

All of our children are taught 20 minutes of phonics, based upon Letters and Sounds, every day from Reception through to Year 2. Children use the actions of the Jolly Phonics scheme to learn the sounds which letters make and children bring small phonics books and phonics games  to practise at home. We have found that children who practise their letters and the sounds at both home and school make the quickest progress.

Letters and Sounds information sharing sessions will be offered during the first term of Reception to help you support your child at home.

Children continue to study spelling patterns and rules after they have securely mastered the phonics phases.