Phonics

Phonics at Longton Primary School

Phonics is taught in Key Stage 1 as part of a planned programme using Animaphonics with the aims being:

  • To equip children to become readers for life. 
  • To equip the children to become effective spellers.
  • To encourage children to see learning to spell as part of the process of learning to write.
  • To understand word construction.
  • To develop vocabulary and the ability to explore word.
  • To apply phonic knowledge to reading, and writing.

Teaching and Learning

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1

Time is given each day IN EYFS and Key Stage 1 to the teaching of synthetic phonics using Animaphonics, a validated scheme which ensures whole-class direct teaching, guided sessions and a wide variety of spoken and play activities. We are well resourced with a wide range of fully decodable class sets reading books to use in class. Children in theses classes take home a reading book matched to their phonic phase and a second book to read for pleasure.Throughout each of the phonics phases the children will also be taught the tricky high frequency words.The children are encouraged to use the knowledge they have acquired in their phonics sessions in their reading and writing activities.

What you can expect to see in an EYFS/KS1 Phonics Lesson

A daily phonics lesson using Animaphonics

  • Review and revisit- this is to review preciously learned sounds.
  • Teach and practise- time to teach and practise a new phoneme and practise blending. Mat also learn a new tricky word.
  • Practise and apply - this is time to practise reading, spelling and using the new phoneme.

Children will also have the opportunity to read decodable books/ texts  in a guided reading session with an adult to apply thier phonics skills. 

Lessons that are well matched to the children's phonics phase.

Teachers assess children's learning daily throughout the lesson, identifying children who need extra support ( using Animaphonics interventions) and practice with thier phonics. At the end of every phase all of the children are assessed to find out which sounds that have been taught are embedded. 

In Key Stage 2

Children who did not meet the screening threshold in Year 1 and then did not meet it in Year 2 continue to have regular phonics intervention checks, using the assessment data from Key Stage 1 to work on sounds thaey have yet to master.

Phase 5 phonics sessions are used throughout Key Stage 2 as morning starter taks to consolidate the childrens phonetically awareness in order to further stregthen spelling. 

Assessment

The children are assessed regularly by staff using Animaphonics assessments and tracked on the appropriate tracker.  They may be asked to read a range of words appropriate to the phase being taught and teachers will always be looking for evidence of phonics being applied in written work. In Key Stage 1 weekly checks are carried out to assess spellings linked to the sounds being taught during the week. 

In June children in Year 1 take the  statutory phonics screening. This test is conducted on a one to one basis with the class teacher or an adult known to them . The children are asked to read a selection of real and made up words based on the Phases outlined above. The results of these tests are reported to parents.Children who do not meet the required standard in the Year 1 phoncs screening undertake interventions using Animaphonics and retake the screening in Year 2. 

 

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Contact the School

Longton Primary School

School Ln
Longton
Lancashire
PR4 5YA

Main Contact: Linda Masterson

Tel: 01772 612 495
Bursar@longton.lancs.sch.uk

SEN Contact: Rebecca Catterall and Di Regan

SEN Email: Senco@longton.lancs.sch.uk