What does Phonics look like in our school?
Pre-formal & Informal
Our Pre-formal learners (PMLD learners) will develop their pre-reading skills through sensory and immersive stories using a range of resources. One story is the focus of the half term supported by the Power of Reading scheme. These stories may be adapted by the classroom teacher to suit the needs of the pupils with an awareness of cognitive overload and learning styles.
Our EYFS & Informal learners (Complex ASC) will engage with sensory stories that are usually delivered through ICT to support engagement. One story is the focus of the half term supported by the Power of Reading scheme and is taught in small chunks to support anticipation, recognition and language development.
In both pathways, Phonics is taught to develop an awareness of sounds linked to a general phonemic awareness through an interactive, multisensory approach. Teachers will use visuals and plans linked to the Read, Write Inc programme but the delivery will alter depending on the learners. There is an expectation that Phonics is taught daily.
Semi-formal and Formal
Phonics is taught using the Read, Write Inc programme. This programme teaches phonics in a systematic, synthetic way. RWI promotes speaking and listening skills, phonological awareness and oral blending skills. A typical phonics session follows a set structure: Revisit and Review (Speed Sounds), Teach (Introduce a new phoneme/special friends), Practise and Apply. As part of the RWI programme, the pupils will learn “red” words that do not follow phonetic patterns and must be learned individually. Once children are working at Red Ditty Level, they are introduced to reading books.
Pupils typically revisit the same phonemes and graphemes many times to that they become embedded. We understand that to progress in reading, children need to read with fluency otherwise their working memory will be overloaded and this will impact on their ability to derive meaning from the text. Our pupils need to become automatic in their recognition of phonemes so that they can decode words at speed accurately. Teachers will provide pupils with various opportunities to revisit and reinforce this learning throughout the school day.
