Phonics

Phonics

At Moorhouse we aim for all our children to become fluent, confident readers who are passionate about reading.

Children who read regularly or are read to regularly have the opportunity to open the doors to so many different worlds! More importantly, reading will give your child the tools to become independent life-long learners.

We can achieve this together through:

• Read Write Inc: a phonics program to help to your child read at school
• Encouraging children to develop a love of books by reading to them daily, at home and at school
• Giving children access to a wide range of books at school and at home

What is Read Write Inc?

At Moorhouse we use Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI) program to give your child the best possible start with their reading.

RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found here  or here.

Organisation of Teaching and Learning

Pupils are grouped according to their progress in reading, rather than in writing. This is because it is known that pupils’ progress in writing will lag behind progress in reading, especially for those whose motor skills are less well developed.

Nursery

Children in Nursery follow Letters and Sounds phase 1-listening for and distinguishing sounds in the environment. Initial sounds are introduced. The staff use ‘Fred Talk’ (saying words using pure sounds) with the children. Children who are ready will follow the Summer programme.

EYFS

In Reception we emphasise the alphabetic code. The children learn sounds and the letter or groups of letters they need to represent them. Simple mnemonics are used to help the children to grasp them quickly. This learning is consolidated daily. Pupils have frequent practice in reading high frequency words with irregular spellings- common exception words.

Key Stage One

Pupils work in groups which are defined by their performance in the RWI assessment. Pupils are re-assessed each half term and then groups are reorganised accordingly. Children also practice reading nonsense words and complete the phonics screen check in Year one. Those children who do not achieve the expected standard sit the phonics check again in Year 2.

Assessment and Tracking

We assess all children following the Read Write Inc. Phonics early Assessment. We record their entry point and track the rate at which they are making progress.

 The reading lead will then assess each child each half term in order to regroup the children.

 Children are also assessed throughout every lesson. Teachers assess how the children:

·         Read the graphemes

·         Read the green and red words

·         Decode the stories

·         Comprehend the stories

Speech and Language 

At Moorhouse Academy, we are dedicated to supporting children’s early speech and language skills, setting the firm foundations for future learning. In Reception, groups of children take part in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI). 

1:1 tutoring

When the assessments and groupings have taken place, the Reading Lead will liase will class teachers to identify the children who need extra support. Support staff will deliver sessions to these children according to the 1:1 tutoring handbook.

Progress Expectations

If children are progressing at expected levels, they will learn the following:

	YR children can:	Y1 children can:	Y2 children can:
End of Autumn 1	Read single-letter Set 1 sounds	Read Purple Storybooks; read some Set 2 sounds	Read Blue Storybooks with increasing fluency and comprehension
End of Autumn term	Read all Set 1 sounds; blend sounds into words orally	Read Pink Storybooks; read all Set 2 sounds	Read Grey Storybooks
End of Spring 1	Blend sounds to read words; read short Ditty stories	Read Orange Storybooks; read some Set 3 sounds	Read Grey Storybooks with fluency and comprehension
End of Spring term	Read Red Storybooks	Read Yellow Storybooks	Access RWI Comprehension and Spelling programmes
End of Spring term	Read Green Storybooks; read some Set 2 sounds	Read Yellow Storybooks; read all of Set 3 sounds	Access RWI Comprehension and Spelling programmes
End of Summer term	Read Green or Purple Storybooks	Read Blue Storybooks	Access RWI Comprehension and Spelling programmes