Phonics – Sounds Write

At Campsbourne we following the National Curriculum for Phonics which can be found here. Our aim is for all children to be confident readers by the end of KS1. High quality phonics teaching enables children to confidently decode new words independently which leads to improved understanding. We follow the Sounds Write phonics scheme which is a high-quality program endorsed by the DfE.

Phonics and Reading in the Early Years

The pre teaching of phonics begins in Nursery with children developing their ability to identify environmental sounds before moving on to oral blending and segmentation of letter sounds. In Reception children are systematically introduced to individual sounds and the letters which make these sounds through daily phonics sessions. Towards the end of Reception where children have mastered the ability to blend and segment individuals sounds to make words e.g. cat, went, strict they move on to more complex sounds which are made using more than one letter e.g. sh, th, ng.  Children read to an adult once a week as they progress through a series of phonetically decodable books. This ensures children master the ability to blend sounds confidently and see themselves as readers early on.

Children are read to every day in school. We have identified a core set of texts for each term which are linked to the curriculum. These books are kept in the class book corners for teachers to read to children and for children to read independently as they become increasingly familiar with them. These books are changed each term.

Children are provided with two home readers each week. One book is linked to the sounds taught in class and is phonetically decodable. We refer to  this book as the ‘I read’ book as your child should have all the knowledge and skills to read this book independently. Children also take home a library book which we refer to as the ‘You read’ book. This book is for parents to read to their children for enjoyment purposes; talking about the story and developing a broad vocabulary.

Children’s phonic knowledge is assessed each term in Reception with an emphasis placed on their ability to blend and segment words confidently before moving on to more complex sounds and words.

Phonics and Reading (Year 1)

Children continue with daily phonics lessons in Year 1 with the focus on developing their knowledge of sounds that are made by more than one letter e.g. sh, ing and also the different ways which one sound can be made e.g. ai, ay, a, a-e. Children read everyday as they continue to progress through the phonetically decodable books.

Children are assessed at the end of Reception using Sounds write assessments and grouped accordingly where needed. Through re-visiting sounds learnt, teachers pre-teach trickier vocabulary which they will encounter in their decodable book for that week and during the week they practise the text with their adult, in pairs and eventually independently. Children discuss what they have read and respond to questions to check their understanding of the text. They do this orally and in written form. Children are also provided with dictated sentences from the story to practise segmenting sounds for writing. The children also learn their new sounds for the week during their 30 minute phonic session. These sessions take place 4 days a week.

Children are read to every day in school. We have identified a core set of texts for each term which are linked to the curriculum. These books are kept in the class book corners for teachers to read to children and for children to read independently as they become increasingly familiar with them. These books are changed each term.

Children are provided with three home readers each week. One book is linked to the sounds taught in class and is phonetically decodable. We refer to this book as the ‘I read’ book as your child should have all the knowledge and skills to read this book independently. Children also take home a library book which we refer to as the ‘You read’ book. This book is for parents to read to their children for enjoyment purposes; talking about the story and developing a broad vocabulary. In Year 1 we also introduce at a later date a ‘We read’ book. This book is for children to read with their parents supporting as they may be faced with words new sounds, which will broaden their vocabulary.

Children’s phonic knowledge is assessed regularly through teacher judgements and sounds write assessments to ensure all the children are making the necessary progress and are supported accordingly.

Reading in Year 2

In the autumn term in Year 2, we teach reading through daily Guided Reading sessions which last for 30 minutes. During guided reading, the children are grouped according to their reading needs and strengths. Throughout the course of the week, the teacher works with each group to teach them strategies that will enable them to become more independent, fluent and skilled readers. The children then apply these skills to books at their instructional reading level, through independent or paired activities. The children work on their comprehension skills both orally and in written form and in doing so develop their ability to discuss texts that they have read by asking and answering questions and making predictions. A variety of interesting and challenging texts are used to expose the children to new and ambitious vocabulary.

From the spring term onwards, we take a more whole class teaching approach, where different reading strategies such as making sense of the text, making the reading sound good and being able to predict, make inferences and make connections to other texts are modelled and practised. The children read texts with their partners and independently and complete comprehension tasks.

You can view our reading curriculum pathway for Reception and Years 1 and 2 by clicking on the following link. Curriculum Reading Pathway EYFS and KS1

The vast majority of children are provided with two home readers each week. One book is linked to the book band which they are assessed to be reading at. In Year 2 we refer to this book as the ‘We read’ book. Your child should be able to read the vast majority of the text using their phonic knowledge but they may come across words which they will need your support with. Children also  continue to take home a library book which we refer to as the ‘You read’ book. This book is for parents to read to their children for enjoyment purposes; talking about the story and developing a broad vocabulary.

Some children who are still developing their ability to blend and segment confidently will continue to take home phonetically decodable readers as well.

Destination Reader (Years 3 – 6)

Destination Reader involves daily lessons incorporating whole class modelling, prior to the children applying these skills through partner work and independent reading. Children deepen their understanding of the texts they read through the systematic use of a series of strategies and language stems. We use a variety of texts throughout KS2 from classics such as Charlotte’s Web in Year 5 and George’s Marvellous Medicine in Year 3, to more modern literature such as The Boy at the Back of the Class in Year 4 and Who Let the God’s Out? In Year 6. We aim to ensure the texts we use in class for these sessions make links elsewhere across the curriculum and represent our wonderfully diverse community. For example in the summer term children read stories about refugees as part of our work around Refugee Week.

You can view our reading curriculum pathway for Years 3 to 6 by clicking on the following link.

Campsbourne Reading Pathway KS2

Assessment of Reading

Reception and Year 1

In reception and years 1 children’s phonetic knowledge is assessed weekly to ensure they are reading the correct book during their group sessions. Detailed individual assessments are completed three times a year for children who are not meeting expectations. These assessment help inform provision to ensure keep up and catch up interventions are targeted at the specific needs of each chid.

At the end of Reception and twice a year in years 1 and 2 children complete PM Benchmarking assessments. These assessments are used to ensure that children’s ‘we read’ home readers are at the correct level. Children in Year 2 begin to complete written assessments after the autumn term. You can view the progression map for reading in Reception and Years 1 and 2 clicking on the link below.

Reading Progression Map (EYFS and KS1)

Years 3 to 6

In years 3 to 6 children are assessed weekly through their reading lessons. They also complete written assessments at the end of each term. You can view the progression map for reading in Years 3 to 6 clicking on the link below.

Reading Progression Map (Years 3 to 6)

Independent Reading and Promoting the Joy of Reading

School Library

We have a dedicated school library which is well stocked with a range of texts. Children enjoy 30mins every week in the library choosing and reading books in a relaxed environment.

Accelerated Reader (Year 3 to Year 6)

In years 3 to 6 we use the Accelerated Reader program which allows teachers and parents to monitor children’s independent reading and provides incentives for children to read regularly. Research shows that children make most progress when they read for at least 30 mins every day and have good levels of comprehension of the books they are reading. To ensure children are reading the correct books children take short tests which tell them which book levels they should be reading. You will notice that the books your child is coming home with have small stickers on the front cover. These stickers refer to the level of difficulty of the book. Children read the book and when they have finished they take a short quiz asking them 8 – 10 questions about the book.

We are then able to track the children’s reading to make sure they are reading regularly and that they are reading books at the right difficulty level. The system provides us with lots of fun facts such as how many words a child / class or even the whole school has read as well as allowing us to see how they are doing with their quizzes. Each week we reward children who have taken 10 quizzes and got a pass rate of 80% or more. The more children read and score good comprehension marks on their quizzes the more rewards they get!

Parents Guide to Accelerated Reader

What Parents need to know about Accelerated Reader

To find out more about the content and progression you can view our Reading and Spelling Policy. Reading and Spelling Policy (Spring 2024)