📚 Phonics at Petteril Bank Primary School
🌟 Our Approach to Phonics
At Petteril Bank Primary School, we use the highly successful Read Write Inc (RWI) phonics programme to teach our children to read, write and spell. Phonics is taught daily to all children in Reception, Year 1, and those in Year 2 who still need to consolidate their phonics knowledge. Our structured approach ensures children build their reading skills systematically, developing confident and enthusiastic readers.
📊 Our Results
We’re proud of our phonics screening results, with 73% of our children meeting the expected standard in the most recent check. Our disadvantaged pupils also perform strongly.
📝 How Read Write Inc Works
Daily Sessions
Children participate in focused, 30-45 minute daily sessions where they:
- Learn new sounds
- Practice reading and spelling words containing these sounds
- Read specially written books that match their phonics level
- Develop their comprehension skills
Five Key Principles
- Learn – Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words
- Read – Children read storybooks and non-fiction books closely matched to their developing phonic knowledge
- Develop – Children’s comprehension, vocabulary and writing are developed as they read these books
- Practice – Children practice their reading in small groups led by a trained teacher
- Apply – Children apply these skills throughout the curriculum and develop a love of reading
Reading Groups
Children are assessed regularly and grouped according to their reading level. This enables them to read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky words’.
How Can You Help at Home
1️⃣ Sound Pronunciation
It’s crucial to pronounce the sounds correctly at home. Visit our school YouTube channel for demonstrations or use the RWI pronunciation guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXcabDUg7Q
2️⃣ Reading Books Sent Home
Your child will bring home:
- RWI Book Bag Books – These are matched to your child’s phonics level and should be practiced repeatedly for fluency
- Library Books – These are for you to read with your child to develop their love of reading
3️⃣ Reading Practice Tips
- Listen to your child read their RWI Book Bag Book every day
- Re-read the same book 3-4 times for fluency
- Celebrate their success with lots of praise
- Use the questions inside the book to develop comprehension
- If they struggle with a word, use the ‘Fred Talk’ strategy (sounding out)
4️⃣ Fred Talk at Home
Fred Talk is how we teach children to read. Fred says the sounds, and children blend them together:
- Fred says “c-a-t”, children say “cat”
- Fred says “l-i-ck”, children say “lick”
Try playing ‘Fred Games’ at home:
- Fred I Spy: “I spy with my little eye a p-e-n”
- Fred’s Shopping: “In my basket I have a b-oo-k”
🌐 Helpful Online Resources
Free Resources
- Oxford Owl eBooks (Create a free account to access RWI eBooks)
- Read Write Inc YouTube Channel
- Phonics Play (Some free games available)
- Letters and Sounds
Apps
- Read Write Inc Phonics (£4.99)
- Teach Your Monster to Read (Free on website, small charge for app)
- Phonics Hero
- Jolly Phonics Letter Sounds
📅 Parent Workshops
We regularly hold phonics workshops for parents to help you understand how we teach phonics and how you can support your child at home. Look out for next event and attend if you can 🙂🙂🙂
📊 Phonics Progression
EYFS and Year 1
- Set 1 sounds: m, a, s, d, t, i, n, p, g, o, c, k, u, b, f, e, l, h, sh, r, j, v, y, w, th, z, ch, qu, x, ng, nk
- Set 2 sounds: ay, ee, igh, ow, oo, oo, ar, or, air, ir, ou, oy
- Set 3 sounds: ea, oi, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e, aw, are, ur, er, ow, ai, oa, ew, ire, ear, ure, tion, tious/cious
Year 2 and Beyond
- Consolidation of above sounds
- Alternative spellings
- Complex spelling patterns
- Grammar and punctuation
📞 Questions or Support
If you have any questions about how to support your child with phonics at home, please speak to your child’s teacher or contact our Phonics Lead, Mrs Taylor.
