Phonics, Reading and Writing
Our Approach to the Teaching of Phonics
Every child deserves success right from the start. We know that the sooner children learn to read, the greater their success at school. This is why we put reading at the very heart of what we do.
We follow the DfE “Letters and Sounds” programme, using “Jolly Phonics” as our tool for an immersive approach to teaching synthetic phonics. With songs, catchy mnemonics and fun games to play in order to teach and consolidate taught sounds, we strive to give each child access to teaching which fits to their learning style.
Jolly Phonics is a comprehensive programme, based on the proven, fun and multi-sensory synthetic phonics method that gets children reading and writing from an early age. This means that we teach letter sounds as opposed to the alphabet. These 42 letter sounds are phonic building blocks that children, with the right tools, use to decode the English language. When reading a word, they recognise the letters and blend together the respective sounds; when writing a word they identify the sounds and write down the corresponding letters. These skills are known as blending and segmenting and we teach them alongside each other right from the beginning of Reception.
Our Approach to the Teaching of Reading
In Key Stage 1, we use a wide range of books from different reading schemes which we have carefully matched and sequenced to their “Letters and Sounds” phase. This ensures that each child can access a wide range of phonetically decodable books, which are closely matched to their phonic ability, to read from and enjoy. Within our timetable, we are committed to providing independent and/or supported reading time on a daily basis and every child’s progress is closely monitored.
In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, over the course of the year, the children will listen to a range of stories and poems. The younger children will learn to join in with repeated phrases, for example, in traditional tales and also sharing information in non-fiction books.
At Aycliffe Village Primary School, teachers use their subject knowledge to link books to other areas of the curriculum where this is appropriate and develop a range of reading and writing activities for the children to explore and enjoy.
You can help your child by making sure they bring their book bag into school every day and by listening to them read at home. If you have any questions, or require any support with this, then please ask your child’s class teacher.
Our Approach to the Teaching of Writing
At Aycliffe Village Primary School, we believe that all pupils should be able to confidently communicate their knowledge, ideas and emotions through their writing. We want pupils to acquire a wide vocabulary, a solid understanding of grammar and to be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in primary school.
We want them to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in, and for, a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. We believe that all pupils should be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing, in part by developing a good, joined, handwriting style by the time they move to secondary school.
We believe that all good writers refine and edit their writing over time, so we want children to develop independence in being able to identify their own areas for improvement in all pieces of writing, editing their work effectively during and after the writing process. We do not put ceilings on what pupils can achieve in writing and we do not hold preconceptions about any pupils’ ability to make progress.
We understand the importance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both grammar, spelling and composition skills, and so we want to encourage a home-school partnership which enables parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills being taught in school.
How Do We Teach English Intent Implementation Impact
GPS coverage (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Objectives for each year group)
Our Assessment Documents are based on information from Durham Local Authority and the National Curriculum
