At Pool Hayes Primary School, we are committed to providing our children with a curriculum that inspires and challenges them to learn.
Curriculum statement for the teaching and learning of Phonics
Intent
The systematic teaching of phonics has a high priority throughout Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. At Pool Hayes Primary, we value reading as a key life skill, and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers.
The EYFS Framework requires children to
Develop their phonological awareness, so that they can:
• spot and suggest rhymes
• count or clap syllables in words
• recognise words with the same initial sound, such as money and mother
• Read individual letters by saying the sounds for them.
• Blend sounds into words, so that they can read short words made up of letter-sound correspondences.
• Read some letter groups that each represent one sound and say sounds for them.
• Read simple phrases and sentences made up of words with known letter-sound correspondences and, where necessary, a few exception words.
The national curriculum for Reading aims to ensure that all pupils:
· read easily, fluently and with good understanding
· develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
The curriculum for reading begins in Nursery with the children beginning to learn letter sounds from the Summer term. We use the RWI phonics programme to enable all children to develop the reading skills they need.
Implementation
High Expectations
All children are expected to succeed and make progress from their starting points.
We expect all children to meet certain deadlines in their phonics learning and support children who are not on track to meet their expected stage of learning.
High expectations are set for every pupil, whatever their prior attainment. Potential areas of difficulty are identified and addressed through a rigorous assessment process, alongside bespoke individual tutoring.
Coherent Planning
We acknowledge that children need to be taught the key skills in segmenting and blending to be equipped with the knowledge to be able to complete the phonics check at the end of year 1. We also value and encourage the pupils to read for enjoyment and recognise that this starts with the foundations of acquiring letter sounds, segmenting and blending skills.
The RWI scheme is progressive, rigorous and systematic, enabling the children to make rapid progress in their reading. Lessons are planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil achievement.
Breadth of Study
Throughout the EYFS & KS1, children study all aspects of the reading curriculum. This is done through the use of RWI, as well as in additional ‘Talk Through Stories’ and reading sessions.
Vocabulary
Specific vocabulary is taught explicitly and is expected to be used when talking about the stories children are exposed to in their phonics lessons and in additional daily story time sessions.
Implementation
Subject Knowledge & Support
· Pupils have regular reading (RWI) sessions with an adult. We ensure the pupils are regularly practising and applying their phonics knowledge. In the EYFS the continuous provision matches the pupil’s current knowledge and understanding whilst ensuring the children are suitable challenged.
· Teachers regularly assess the pupil’s phonics knowledge using the phonics assessment, RWI assessments and Reading Early Learning Goal (in EYFS). These regular assessments inform planning and allow teachers to identify any gaps in learning.
· Ruth Miskin Training provides full training and ongoing support for schools to ensure Read Write Inc. Phonics is successfully delivered in the classroom. The handbooks provide clear guidance to ensure teachers continue to feel supported.
· Reading Leaders, supported by SLT, are responsible for the phonics teaching within the school, supporting the rest of the teaching staff and maintaining standards.
Subject Matter & systematic teaching
· Through the teaching of RWI the children are taught the essential skills needed for reading. Phonics is taught daily to all children in Foundation Stage, and KS1.
· Detailed lesson plans are included in the handbooks for clear, directed teaching. The discussion of ideas in crucial to the programme as part of partner practice.
· Staff systematically teach learners the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them.
· Small group structures and regular assessments ensure teachers can monitor children’s understanding and progress.
· Teaching groups are determined by easy-to-use assessments and allow for children to move between groups based on individual progress.
· RWI is delivered in homogenous groups, and these skills are also embedded in other lessons to the whole class because it enables staff to ensure application across subjects.
· At the same time as learning a new sound, or reading a new Storybook, previously learned sounds are reviewed as part of the lesson
Assessment
· Children are assessed regularly and provision is put in place to support the lowest 20% of children in R, Y1 and Y2. Assessments show which phonemes and graphemes the children need to know, and Tutors provide daily tuition for these children to enable them to develop their reading skills. Extra support is provided to those in Year 2 who have not passed the PSC in Year 1 and interventions are planned for those children who are working below expected levels.
· Clear assessment guidance is provided with easy-to use forms to ensure children are working at the appropriate level.
Environment & Resources
· ‘Book corners’ are in every classroom. They are attractive and provide children a wide range of books that they can choose from and read.
· Guidance is provided for how best to set up the learning environment, including seating and displays for RWI. Classroom management and feedback methods are a crucial part of Read Write Inc. Phonics and strategies for classroom management are discussed in depth in the handbook.
· Easy-to-use, clear resources are a crucial part or the programme and are integrated into the lesson plans.
· Phonics (Speed Sounds) are taught cumulatively with the aid of clear resources. At the same time, pupils will read books containing sounds that they are confident in reading and these too build cumulatively on that knowledge.
Developing confidence and enjoyment
· The rigorous pedagogy of the lesson plans ensure pace and engagement in learning to read.
· The children have reading books that match their current phonics level. They have an additional phonically decodable book to develop fluency, and an additional ‘story to share’ for enjoyment.
· The core Storybooks closely follow the progression of the phonics teaching, and revisit/practise previous sounds learned
Inclusion
· The RWI curriculum is ambitious and gives all learners the knowledge they need to succeed.
Where children are identified as not being on track, their needs are met through additional tutoring. They will be taught at the level that meets their needs, allowing skills to be embedded before moving on to the next stage.
Impact
Evidence in Knowledge and Skills
Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school. Attainment in reading is measured using the statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage Two. These results are measured against the reading attainment of children nationally. Attainment in phonics is measured by the Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1.
Impact
RWI Phonics tracking shows that many children make expected or above progress. Those who don’t have daily tutoring to help them to make progress. Children who don’t make expected progress do make progress, and have additional needs which create a barrier to their learning.
Children are able to explain the strategies they can use when reading unknown words. (Special friends – Fred talk – Read the word.)
Outcomes
At the end of each year we expect the children to have made progress from their personal starting point. We aim for them to be in line with RWI expectations.
The children read books in line with their phonics knowledge. Children can then focus on developing fluency and comprehension throughout the school. Embedding the alphabetic code early on means that children quickly learn to write simple words and sentences. Attainment in phonics is measured by the Phonics Screening Test at the end of Year 1 and ongoing assessment throughout the Read, Write, Inc programme.
PSC result for 2024 is 85%.
Supporting children with SEN
Whilst our curriculum here at PHP is very much designed to meet the needs of all of our children, we also recognise that some children may need some additional support to access it, and this is factored in to our planning and the delivery of lessons. Our curriculum is highly inclusive and all groups of children are supported to access all areas successfully, this includes those children who have a special educational need and/or disability or who are deemed to be disadvantaged or vulnerable in any way.
