Phonics

What is Phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language. Understanding phonics will help children know which letters to use when they are writing words as well as decoding and blending sounds in words to help them read. 

How do we teach phonics?

At John Locke, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. We teach early reading through the DFE validated scheme Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised - a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme.

Phonics teaching starts in EYFS and follows the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised progression, which ensures students build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.

Students are taught through discrete phonic sessions every day. They are given a range of opportunities to embed their phonic skills across the curriculum. 

Reading skills are applied during small group reading practice sessions three times per week. For these we use Big Cat Phonics: a scheme of fully decodable texts matched exactly to the programme progression. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:

• decoding: sounding out words 

• prosody: teaching students to read with understanding and expression

• comprehension: teaching students to understand the text.

Click here for access to Little Wandle complete parent page where you will find how to videos and other useful resources to support reading at home.