Phonics

Letter sound  

Letter formation  

Blending  

Segmenting  

Letter name 

Tricky words  

Alternative spellings and sounds  

Purpose of Study:  

A high-quality education in Phonics systematically teaches children the knowledge and skills required to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. A wide evidence base nationally recognises Phonics as the best method we have for teaching children to read and write. Pupils who write fluently can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading, others can communicate with them. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. Writing and especially reading enable pupils to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually. Phonics forms one of the crucial building blocks of English language essential to participating fully as a member of society. 

Phonics at Lexden Primary School: 

At Lexden Primary School we use Jolly Phonics as the basis for our Phonics Curriculum. Jolly Phonics is a programme that has been validated by the Department for Education to improve literacy levels. Our delivery at Lexden ensures that all children have a solid foundation in phonics to build on throughout the school, as well as enabling children to read widely and often, both for pleasure and for information. 

Key elements of our Phonics Curriculum:  

•   Teaching is multi-sensory and active, with fun actions and songs to enable children to make connections with their learning  
•   Systematic teaching of phonics, grammar, spelling and punctuation across the school years  
•   Continues to revise and extend children’s phonic knowledge  
•   Clear progression within and between year groups so that knowledge and skills are consistently built upon 
•   Independent research supports the outstanding results achieved around the world with the Jolly Phonics programme  
•   Phonics is taught daily through discrete lessons as well as embedded throughout the curriculum 
•   Children are empowered as soon as they start school with us to read and write 
•   Reading widely, both for pleasure and for information, is modelled, encouraged and celebrated throughout the school 
•   Phonics teaching and learning transitions into spellings as children move up through the school