Intent

St Josephs Catholic Primary School- Phonics

Intent

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School we want to equip all our pupils with a secure phonic knowledge that enables them to read and write successfully. Children will be able to apply their understanding of letters and sounds to decode a range of words which in turn will allow them to read books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge. When writing, children will be able to make phonically plausible attempts at unfamiliar words, enabling them to write with an appropriate level of independence for their age. They will also be able to use their phonic knowledge to correctly apply a range of spelling rules to words.

Implementation

In EYFS and KS1, a systematic and rigorous approach to phonics will be applied through the delivery of the Supersonic Phonics Friends Scheme. Robust assessments will be used to ensure that children are making at least expected progress and teaching is delivered and guided by what our assessments inform us. Where children are not making expected progress, 1:1 support sessions will be put in place to address this. All children are considered, with vulnerable children, or those needing support, placed on the edges of the carpet where they have consistent, regular support from support staff throughout the phonics session.  Staff delivering the phonics scheme will have had access to quality training materials and regular support from Senior Management. Children will take home familiar and unfamiliar books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge. Across school, all classrooms will use the same resources, vocabulary, rhymes, fictional characters and supporting materials and actions, to ensure consistency as the children move through the school.

Children also have a heavy focus on tricky words. This is taught daily within the classroom. As children move in to KS1 they are taught spelling patterns to ensure they have a wide variety of sounds and knowledge to spell words correctly.

In Reception, writing and spelling has a key focus on hearing and recording sounds, and therefore children practise on whiteboards. Throughout the day children have additional opportunities to practise writing.  As they move into KS1, they record in books, to promote handwriting alongside phonics.

Impact

At St Josephs we want children to feel confident in using their phonic knowledge and the strategies that they have been taught to read words. This helps them to access a range of material and, in turn, fosters a love of reading. By taking home books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge, children can celebrate reading success with their parents and carers which will give them the confidence and motivation to read regularly. This will have a positive impact on the progress that they make. Children will be able to make phonically plausibly attempts at spelling words and therefore communicate their ideas in writing across a range of subjects and for a range of purposes both in and out of school. Based on their phonic knowledge, children can make good spelling choices and spell many words correctly. In short, we aspire for our pupils to:

• read at an age-appropriate level with fluency which enables them to access the broader curriculum

.• develop a life-long love of reading where they read widely and often, with fluency and comprehension.

• Achieve well at EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 assessment points.

 • Have the required phonics skills to pass Year 1 phonic screening check on the first attempt.