Phonics

How are pupils at Wickham Market taught to read? 

• The Floppy Phonics scheme is taught from Reception to embed a systematic and consistent approach to the teaching of early reading and writing. 
• Discrete phonics lessons are taught daily with a focus on applying skills at a sound, word and text level from the earliest stages to ensure that the learning is embedded.
• Our reading books are orgainised into systematic and cumulative groups that link directly to the order of the sounds taught within the scheme, meaning that children take home a book to practice and apply the phonics learnt in school. The children will take home a book containing the sounds they have been taught. We also share cumulative sentences from the scheme with parents which give a further opportunity to practice reading the sounds taught at sentence level. We also provide a share at home book from Reception to Year 2 and the children choose a book from the school library once a week
• Fluency and comprehension is then taught in KS2 reading sessions using Jane Considine ‘Book Talk’ approach. A range of text types are covered during these sessions. We use this approach from Reception which builds children vocabulary and comprehension through discussion of high quality texts.

How we assess reading…

• Phonics - The children are regularly assessed using Floppy Phonics assessment after sets of sounds have been taught. This assesses the sounds, reading short words, medium words and longer words. This information is collated for each class to identify gaps for teaching.
• Reading Fluency - children in year 2 onwards that have completed the phonics programme are assessed using the Collins Assess Reading Fluency assessment. These assess the number of words read in a set time and also comprehension questions. We use this termly, to assess fluency and to check they are reading at the correct level. 
• Termly NFER assessments across the school and previous SATs in Y2 and Y6 which are then analysed so areas of need can be identified. This assesses reading different text types and comprehension. 

How we support the lowest 20% (we have viewed these as the lowest 20% nationally - so those below age related expectations or with a standardised score between 0 and 87)  with reading..

• Additional support (children giving interventions outside the discrete phonics lesson either in a small group or 1:1) is provided to ensure they ‘keep up, rather than catch up’ using the Floppy’s phonics resources and strategies to ensure a consistent approach is applied. These children will be exposed to new sounds during phonics lessons but their reading books will be at a level that they are able to decode and read to consolidate learning.