Phonics and Early Reading

At Maney Hill, we follow a systematic and synthetic phonics scheme, Read Write Inc. The teaching of reading is vital to allow pupils to access a full and rich curriculum in all subjects.

All staff in Early Years and Key Stage 1 are fully trained in teaching Read Write Inc. Although phonics lessons are predominantly taught in Reception and Key Stage 1, the training of some Key Stage 2 staff allows for intervention groups in higher year groups, ensuring effective support can be given when gaps are identified.

Each week, Reception children have daily 30 minute phonics sessions. This begins as whole class teaching as children are taught the set 1 graphemes. Once these sounds have been taught, children are assessed on their phonic knowledge by teaching staff during Autumn 2. Children are then placed in to smaller groups based on their phonic knowledge and follow the scheme at the appropriate speed and level for their group, where they will begin segmenting and blending. In Autumn 1, children learn five new phonemes, and their corresponding graphemes (GPCs), per week. Red Words (tricky words) are introduced from Autumn 2.

Key Stage 1 pupils have four 30 minute sessions of phonics, Monday to Thursday. In small groups, staff teach pupils segmenting, blending and the relationship between phonemes and graphemes. Lessons are structured and sequenced appropriately to ensure that the teaching of phonics is consistent across the school. Monday to Wednesday, new phonemes, and their corresponding graphemes, are introduced. Thursday’s sessions is used to recap and review those sounds, ready for them to use the GPCs independently.

From September, phonics teaching groups in Key Stage 1 are streamed based on the previous year’s assessments. The groups are assigned the appropriate Read Write Inc. book colour, which correlate to the set of sounds being studied (e.g. Set 2 sounds). These books are used in the second half of the daily sessions to aid reading fluency and comprehension. Half-termly assessments are conducted across Early Years and Key Stage 1 to help inform future planning and identify children who have gaps in their phonic knowledge and need additional practice. Daily formative assessment for learning also takes place within the classroom so staff can quickly identify any children who are in danger of falling behind and provide the appropriate daily interventions.

Statutory assessments take place in the summer term of Year 1. The phonics screening check assesses the child’s phonics knowledge and helps to inform staff on whether a child is making the expected progress in line with the National Curriculum. If a pupil does not meet the expected standard at the end of Year 1, a programme of support will be put in place and they will retake the screening in the summer term of Year 2.

Children must continue following the Read Write Inc. scheme until the can fluently read ‘grey books’ confidently and independently. During phonics sessions, children who have mastered these books are part of a reading skills group that extends their fluency and comprehension skills.

All children in Key Stage 1 will receive home-reading books that are linked to the sounds learnt that week in school. These books are matched to their phonics level, and should be fully decodable. The children should read these at home to an adult and have this recorded in their reading diary. Teaching staff will read regularly with your child during weekly B.E.A.R (Be Excited About Reading) sessions and focus on fluency, comprehension and key vocabulary.

Reading for pleasure is a priority at our school. Alongside their Read Write Inc. book, children will also receive a library book. These books can be read with adults at home, and allow children to learn new vocabulary, engage with a range of text types and build comprehension skills. We believe that a whole-school Reading for Pleasure culture must be promoted throughout the school in a variety of ways, ensuring that all children have the opportunity to develop their love of reading. Class teachers read regularly to their class. These texts are chosen carefully so there is a range of high quality, diverse texts to engage and appeal to a range of children. Teachers promote reading for pleasure through making recommendations and informal book talk.

Visit these websites for more information:

• Oxford Owl: Read Write Inc – A guide for parents
• Read Write Inc Phonics - Learning to read at home
• Read Write Inc - Reading at Home Booklet 1
• Read Write Inc - Reading at Home Booklet 2

English: Writing

We strive to equip children with an imaginative bank of vocabulary and exciting stimuli to help bring their writing to life. The core skills of spelling, grammar and punctuation help them to master the English language which underpins writing in all areas of the curriculum.

Maths

For every child to develop a mastery of mathematics equipping them with skills of calculation, reasoning and problem solving

Science

Develop children’s curiosity and scientific knowledge around understanding the nature, processes and methods of science.

Art

Give children the opportunity to express their creativity through producing work based on different artistic styles.

Computing

Equip children with transferable skills and understanding to function and live safely in our technological world.

Design and Technology

The children are given opportunities to design, build and evaluate their own products to meet a brief.

French

To help equip our children with the skills to be confident global citizens and is designed to progressively acquire, use and applying a growing bank of vocabulary.

Geography

Inspiring and igniting children’s interest about the natural and human worlds.

History

Learning about the past and how it shapes the world we live in today.

Music

All children are given the opportunity to create, play, perform and enjoy music whilst developing the skills required to appreciate a variety of musical forms.

Religious Education

Children are taught knowledge and understanding around a range of religious and worldwide views.

Physical Education

We aim to develop positive attitudes towards physical activity and promote healthy lifestyles alongside the ability to compete both individually and as a team.