English - Phonics

At Western House Academy, phonics is taught using the scheme ‘Essential Letters and Sounds’ (ELS). The intent of the ELS phonics program is to teach children to read and spell by systematically teaching them the relationship between phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (written letters) to read and write words. Implementation involves daily, explicit lessons in Reception and Year 1, using a consistent structure with activities like revision, new learning, practice, and application. The impact is that children become confident, fluent readers and spellers, with the program designed to help most children "keep up" rather than "catch up," with targeted interventions for those who need extra support. 

Intent

• To read and spell quickly and effectively: The core goal is to get children reading well, quickly, by explicitly teaching the alphabetic code (Grapheme Phoneme Correspondence).

• To decode and encode: Children learn to decode words by identifying and blending sounds (phonemes) and to encode by segmenting sounds to spell words accurately.

• To develop fluency: The program aims for children to read and spell words with fluency and accuracy. 

Implementation

• Daily phonics lessons: Phonics is taught every day in dedicated slots.

• Consistent structure: Lessons follow a consistent structure, typically including:

  • Revise: Review previously learned graphemes and words.

  • Teach: Introduce new graphemes and words.

  • Practise: Read and spell new words using the new knowledge.

  • Apply: Use new knowledge in games and activities.

• Systematic progression: The program follows a progression, ensuring children build their understanding of the "code" of the English language.

• Targeted support: Teachers use ongoing assessments to identify gaps and provide immediate, short, specific, and effective 1:1 or small group interventions for struggling children.

• Phonics-based resources: A consistent approach is supported by using phonics-based home readers and other resources to reinforce learning. 

Impact

Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage One. This way, children can focus on developing their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school.