At St James' Infants the systematic teaching of Phonics is a priority. As a team staff have developed a programme which meets all the government criteria whilst being sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the children in our school. All children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have a Phonics lesson each day and this is closely linked whenever possible to the key texts which children are studying in class.

The plan below clearly demonstrates the order in which children are taught grapheme phoneme correspondences and common exception words. This ensures consistency for all children throughout the school. We have developed a system where we feel the children benefit most as they learn new grapheme/phoneme correspondences - generally two new phonemes are taught each week. One day is focused on reading and the second day focused on writing. On a Friday teachers will plan a session to consolidate their new knowledge.

In our school, we are fortunate enough to welcome children arriving throughout the year many of which may have no or very limited English. New children to school will remain with their class teacher for the first week enabling them to settle and feel safe and are then assigned to an appropriate Phonics group once the class teacher has completed a baseline assessment. The Phonics groups in school remain fluid and are reviewed regularly - children can be moved at any time in order to best meet their individual needs.

PHONICS AND READING

All children will have a reading book closely linked to the current phonemes and graphemes they are studying. Children also have the opportunity to have a second reading book of their choice - alongside their weekly library book. As part of our work on developing fluency children are encouraged to re-read texts to build their confidence and fluency.

For more information see the English Curriculum page.

Please watch the videos below to help you support your child with the development of their reading skills.

The Phonics Screening Check

All children in Year 1 are required to do the Phonics Screening Check in June. Children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 are required to resit the Phonics Screening Check in Year 2. The check is carried out in a familiar environment and with an adult well known to the pupil. 

In 2022 the Phonics Screening check for Year 1 children and those Year 2 children needing to redo the check, will take place the week beginning 6th June 2022.

Please ensure that your child is in school during this week.