Phonics

At Linton-on-Ouse Primary School and Nursery, we believe that developing good reading and spelling skills is rooted in high quality teaching of phonics; phonics is at the core of almost all children’s ability to read fluently. All pupils in Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage One receive daily phonics teaching. We use the DfE accredited Synthetic Systematic Phonics Programme 'Essential letters and Sounds'.

We endeavour to develop enthusiastic readers at a young age; we offer the pupils books that are decodable - the children have already been taught the phonemes (written sounds) that they need to be able to read the book. This encourages confidence as it allows the children to begin to access books quickly. Where pupils make less than expected progress, we help them to catch up quickly through additional support sessions.

How to help at home

Practising the sounds:

Download the charts below to see the list of sounds in the order that they will be taught. You can show these to your child along with the picture to help them remember.

Blending:

After children learn to read some sounds separately, they can start to blend them. Take a look at the How to Blend Sounds to Read Words video below to see idea on how to support your child with this step.

Reading decodable books:

Your child will bring home reading books that use the sounds that they have been learning. Use the prompts in the books to enjoy the book together, saying the sounds and discuss what has happened in the stories too!

Click on the link to help you understand more about Phonics and the different stages of teaching it via the Oxford Owl ELS website.

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/essential-letters-and-sounds/

Following this link will take you to the ELS Oxford Owl Learning at home Support. There are a number of activities and videos that you can watch and use to help you support your child and their phonics learning at home.

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Helpful Videos

What is Phonics?

A short film to help you understand what we mean by phonics.