Phonics

Helping everyone become a confident reader (Intent)

At Putteridge Primary School, we believe that learning to read is one of the most important and exciting milestones in a child's education. Reading opens the door to learning, imagination and independence, and we are passionate about giving every child the best possible start.

We teach phonics through Supersonic Phonic Friends, which is a fun, engaging and systematic programme that helps children develop the skills they need to become successful readers and writers. Through memorable characters, exciting activities and carefully planned lessons, children learn to recognise sounds, read words confidently and apply their knowledge in their writing.

Here is a link to the website https://supersonicphonicfriends.co.uk/

What is phonics?

Phonics teaches children how sounds are linked to letters and letter combinations.

By learning phonics, children can:

• Recognise letter sounds quickly and accurately
• Blend sounds together to read words
• Break words into sounds to help with spelling
• Read common exception words
• Build confidence and fluency when reading
• Use their phonics knowledge when writing independently

As children become more confident, they learn to recognise these patterns automatically, helping them read and write with increasing fluency.

Firm foundations in phonics (Implementation)

Children begin their phonics journey through stories, songs, games and play based activities.

They learn to:

• Listen carefully to sounds around them
• Enjoy rhymes, songs and repetitive stories
• Develop their speaking and listening skills
• Hear and identify sounds in words
• Begin to recognise some letters and the sounds they make

 

Basics two and three

In Foundation Stage, children begin learning the essential skills needed for early reading and writing.

They will learn to:

• Recognise and say letter sounds
• Blend sounds together to read simple words
• Segment words into sounds for spelling
• Learn digraphs and trigraphs
• Read and write simple sentences
• Read common exception words

As their confidence grows, children begin to experience the joy of reading independently.

Basics four and the higher levels 5

In Year 1, children build on their previous learning and develop greater fluency and accuracy.

They learn to:

• Read longer and more complex words
• Recognise alternative spellings for sounds
• Apply phonics skills independently in reading and writing
• Develop reading confidence and expression
• Prepare for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

Through daily practice, children become increasingly confident and resilient readers.

Suze’s super spelling rules

Through Suze's Supersonic Spelling Rules, Year 2 children learn that English spelling follows many logical patterns. These memorable rules help pupils understand why words are spelled in particular ways and support them in making accurate spelling choices when writing independently.

Children learn to:

• Recognise common spelling patterns and word families
• Understand spelling conventions and rules
• Apply phonics knowledge to increasingly complex words
• Develop strategies for spelling unfamiliar words
• Build confidence when writing across the curriculum

Some of the spelling rules children learn include:

• When to double a consonant before adding a suffix
• How suffixes change root words
• The rules for adding -ed, -ing, -er and -est
• Common prefixes and suffixes
• Plurals and possessive apostrophes
• Homophones and commonly confused words
• Spelling patterns linked to the National Curriculum

By linking spelling learning to their secure phonics knowledge, children develop a deeper understanding of the English language and become increasingly accurate and confident writers.

We recognise that every child learns at their own pace. Children who need additional support continue to receive high quality phonics teaching and targeted intervention.

Reading at Home

We know that children make the greatest progress when school and home work together.

Children take home carefully matched books that allow them to practise the sounds they have been learning in school. Reading these books regularly helps build confidence, fluency and enjoyment.

We encourage parents and carers to spend time reading with their child every day, celebrating every achievement along the way.

Terminology

• A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word.
• A grapheme is the written representation of a sound.
• Blending is the process of putting sounds together to read a word.
• Segmenting is breaking a word into sounds to help with spelling.
• A digraph is two letters making one sound (for example, sh, ch or ai).
• A trigraph is three letters making one sound (for example, igh).
• Common Exception Words are words that cannot always be sounded out using phonics rules alone.

A document showing the progression in phonics is shown on this page.  You will also find the who is who guide, so you know the characters and the rhymes attached to them. 

You will also find the learning leaflets for each stage so you know what is covered and how to support your child at home. 

 (Impact)

Through our consistent approach to phonics and spelling, children develop the knowledge and confidence needed to become successful readers and writers.

As a result, children:

• Read with increasing fluency, accuracy and expression.
• Develop secure decoding skills.
• Apply phonics strategies independently when reading unfamiliar words.
• Spell with greater accuracy.
• Use spelling rules and patterns effectively in their writing.
• Demonstrate confidence and enjoyment when reading.
• Are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Regular assessment enables teachers to identify children's next steps quickly and provide additional support where needed. This ensures that all pupils make progress from their starting points and are supported to achieve their full potential.