Phonics and Early Reading
Our Early Reading and Phonics Intent Statement
Our Early Reading and Phonics Policy
If you have any further questions about phonics after visiting our page, please speak to our Early Reading Leader Miss James
Parental Support
If you’d like to find out more or would like help to support your child further please access the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds parent support page on their website below or speak to our Early Reading Leader Miss Smith.
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
What is the phonics screening check?
The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge. It helps school confirm whether your child has made the expected progress. Each year the check will take place during June.
How does the check work?
• Your child will sit with a teacher he/she knows, and be asked to read 40 words aloud.
• Your child may have read some of the words before, while others will be completely new.
• The check normally takes just a few minutes to complete and there is no time limit. If your child is struggling, the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.
What are ‘non-words’?
The check will contain a mix of real words and ‘non-words’ (or ‘nonsense words’). Your child will be told before the check that there will be non-words that he or she will not have seen before. Many children will be familiar with this because many schools already use ‘non-words’ when they teach phonics. Non-words are important to include because words such as ‘vap’ or ‘jound’ are new to all children. Children cannot read the non-words by using their memory or vocabulary; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.
After the check
You will receive your child's phonics screening result with their end of year report, to inform you how they have done in the screening check. If your child has found the check difficult, we will put in place support throughout the end of Year 1 and Year 2. If a child fails to meet the expected standard they will have the opportunity to re-sit the test the following year. All children are individuals and develop at different rates. The screening check ensures that teachers understand which children need extra help with phonic decoding and reading.
Grapheme Mat
Phase 2 and Phase 3
Grow the code Grapheme Mat
Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 5
