We place phonics and reading at the heart of all of our teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 and Early Years and St Peters Cross Keys. At our school we use the 'Read, Write, Inc' Phonics scheme which is a proven systematic synthetic phonics teaching programme for Reception to Year 2. Some children in KS2 also access daily phonics sessions to address gaps in learning.

Each child receives a daily phonics session where they will spend time revisiting phonemes and graphemes to ensure they consolidate their learning before new content is introduced. Teacher led activities are used and designed to help children orally blend, segment and to read words and then sentences. They will also learn the alphabet and how to write letters in upper and lower case before beginning to write simple words and then sentences. Additionally, they will have daily opportunities to apply their learning when reading  books in a 'Shared Reader' lesson, whilst also discussing the text to develop their comprehension skills.

Set 1 Sounds

Learning Set 1 Speed Sounds

These are the Set 1 Speed Sounds written with one letter:

m  a  s  d  t  i  n  p  g  o  c  k  u  b  f  e  l  h  r  j  v  y  w  z  x

These are the sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’):

sh  th  ch  qu  ng  nk  ck

Check if your child can read these sounds. Make sure they say sounds like ‘mmm’, not letter names like ‘em’. Watch the Sound Pronunciation Guide video to help you.

If your child is learning Set 1 Speed Sounds, help them to:

• Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Speed Sounds they have learnt.

Learning to blend with Set 1 Speed Sounds

Your child is learning to read words containing Set 1 Speed Sounds by sound blending. For example:

m-a-t mat

c-a-t cat

g-o-t got

f-i-sh fish
s-p-o-t spot

b-e-s-t best

s-p-l-a-sh splash.

Set 2 Sounds

Learning Set 2 Speed Sounds

These are the Set 2 Speed Sounds:

ay  ee  igh  ow (as in blow)  oo (as in zoo)

oo (as in look) ar  or  air  ir  ou (as in out)  oy

Check if your child can read these sounds.

If your child is learning the Set 2 Speed Sounds, help them to:

• Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Speed Sounds they have learnt.
• Read the eBooks at Red Ditty level, then Green level and then Purple level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.

If your child is learning to sound blend, help them to:

• Read the Sound Blending eBooks in order.
• You could watch the Sound Blending video to help you support your child with sound blending.

Set 3 Sounds 

Learning Set 3 Speed Sounds

 

These are Set 3 Speed Sounds, these are focused around alternative vowel sounds:

ea (as in tea)

oi (as in spoil)

a–e (as in cake)

i–e (as in smile)

o–e (as in home)

u–e (as in huge) 

aw (as in yawn)

are (as in care)

ur (as in nurse)

er  (as in letter)

ow (as in brown)

ai  (as in snail)

oa (as in goat)

ew (as in chew)

ire (as in fire)

ear (as in hear)

ure (as in pure)

Check if your child can read these sounds.

If your child is learning Set 3 Speed Sounds, help them to:

• Complete the Speed Sounds practice sheets for the Speed Sounds they have learnt.
• Read the eBooks at Pink level, then Orange level and then Yellow level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.

To access any of the text your child will be reading at school as well as some helpful phonics videos please use the like below to login on to the 'Read, Write, Inc' parent portal:

Parent guide to Read Write Inc. Phonics - Oxford Owl 

There are also additional resources when it comes to the transcription of the sounds learnt in phonics.

How can I help my child?

If you are reading or writing with your child when they are at home, using the 'pure sounds' can help children isolate the sounds that are in each word and the order that they are in. This can not only help children in the reading of sounds but also helps children to segment words in order to be able to spell them. If you need any help in saying the sounds a helpful guide can be found here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCI2mu7URBc

Please find documents below from our recent phonics parents information evening. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to see your class teacher or see Mrs Cobb.​​​​​​

Phonics screening check

The Phonics Screening check is a statutory assessment which the country takes part in June. Please see below further information on this.