Phonics and Early Reading
Children at Fonthill are inspired to read widely for pleasure and information. They become confident readers who can understand, interpret and evaluate written information in a variety of forms. They are motivated to succeed and see themselves as readers who take pride in their achievements.
We recognise the importance of phonics in developing the fundamental building blocks of reading. Throughout EYFS and KS1, phonics is taught using the Read Write Inc programme. Children are taught daily in progress groups that meet their challenge level.
Children are taught the phonemes (sounds) that make up words and how these are recorded as graphemes using letters. During phonics sessions, they apply their knowledge of the phoneme through reading, speaking, listening and writing. They become fluent in reading high frequency words and using their phonic skills to decode increasingly complex words, sentences and texts. Guided reading takes place during each phonics lesson, in which children learn to read aloud and develop fluency, through echo, choral and paired reading.
Children have opportunities to read and interpret a wide range of texts. They take home fully decodable texts to apply their phonic skills, as well as high quality picture books to build their vocabulary and love of reading.
Over time, children develop their phonic, comprehension and evaluative skills so that they are confident readers who enjoy reading and are successful. Children move through the phonics stages when they are ready as part of our assessment process.
For more information on the Read Write Inc programme and how you can support your child at home please visit Learning to read at home - Ruth Miskin Literacy
