Phonics overview

If you are reading this page, you are most probably supporting your child by using the videos on this website to take your them through our phonics program. If I was in your position, I would want to know the rationale behind what is being taught, and how it fits into the bigger picture.

So, here is an explanation of our phonics delivery strategy.

In Rabbit class I approach teaching phonics with a ‘teach to the top’ strategy, that means I deliver phonics to the whole class, and use the amazing staff I work with to support small groups within these sessions. Outside of these phonics sessions I then use the formative and summative assessment data to identify children to support with one to one and small group interventions.

We base our phonics sessions on the ‘Letters and Sounds‘ program.

Here is the overview program for the year:

  • Autumn 1: Phase 2 program (6 weeks)
  • Autumn 2: Phase 2 program repeated (6 weeks)
  • Spring 1 & 2: Phase 3 program (12 weeks)
  • Summer 1 & 2 : Phase 3 program repeated (12 weeks)

The goal is to get to Phase 4 by the end of the Reception year. Phase ”programs’ are repeated to achieve mastery.

I use the Twinkl version of ‘Letters and Sounds‘ because they provide a high quality resources plus a consistent structure and format that the children and parents become familiar with. They also provide our class with a resilience that means if I am not in class, a colleague can easily step in and delivery the phonics session. It is our class priority that a phonics session is delivered EVERY day. So far this year we have not yet missed a session and this is reflected in the children’s progress.

All sentence writing inputs reflect the ‘sound of the day’ covered in the daily phonics input.

Here is the broad week by week overview of the Phase 3 (or Level 3 as labelled by Twinkl) program. The basic format is a single sound is covered every day between Monday and Thursday, and then Friday is used as recap day.

So for ‘week 1’ :

  • Monday the phonics sessions will focus on ‘j’
  • Tuesday the focus will be ‘v’
  • Wednesday ‘w’
  • Thursday ‘x’
  • Friday will be a recap.
Taken from Twinkl

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mr Vullo