1. How we teach Phonics at Queensway School
What is Phonics?
Why do we teach it?
How you can help?

2. Letters and Sounds
At Queensway we follow the Government programme of study called Letters and Sounds.
We use a range of resources to teach Phonics including Jolly Phonics
Letters and Sounds is a progressive programme which is split into 5 Phases which majority of children working at age related expectations will have completed by the end of Year 1 which enables them to pass the Phonics Screening programme.

3. Phase 1
This Phase develops children’s speaking and listening skills tuning them in to sounds all around them which is the foundation for segmenting and blending letters sounds needed to enable a child to become and early reader and writer.
Ideally children should be secure with Phase 1 on entering Foundation Stage so that they can hear sounds in words and identify initial, middle and end sounds.

4. Phase One General sound discrimination –environmental
General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds
General sound discrimination- body percussion
Rhythm and Rhyme
Alliteration
Voice sounds
Oral blending and segmenting

5. What can you do to support your child if they are not secure with Phase 1
Play simple I Spy games where you find about 6 objects starting with 2 different sounds, put them on a tray and play I spy something beginning with ……
Use Alphabet books which focus on letter sounds to find things that start with different letter sounds.
Use pictures which have lots of things that start with the same letter sound to find everything starting with ……..
Focus on sounds within their environment at home and when you are out and about.
Focus on identifying rhyming words when reading together.

6. Phase Two Letter sounds introduced
s a t p i n c k ck e h r m d g o u l f b
Tricky words
I no and go the to into
How do we introduce them in Foundation Stage?

7. Phase Three Letter sounds introduced
j w v y x z zz ng qu ch ai sh ee or oo ow oa er ar ur oi th igh air ear ure
Tricky words
was we he she her be all me they my are you
By the end of Foundation Stage children need to be secure at Phase Three to get the Early Learning Goal.

8. Phase Four
No new sounds are introduced but children need to use the sounds they know to segment and blend longer words and these include words that start with 2/3 consonants or end with 2/3 consonants
st sc cr sp bl br gr fr pr fl gl dr sw pl sm sk tr tw sl cl
thr scr squ shr spl str spr
Tricky words
Said have what out one like there do when were some come little so

9. Phase Five Alternative letter sounds introduced
ir oy ue ea ey ou ie aw oe wh ph ay ew au o-e e-e i-e a-e u-e
Tricky words
called could their Mr Mrs looked oh asked people

10. How can you support your child at home?
Help them by using the correct pronunciation of the letter sounds.
Encourage them to blend the sounds together by using sound talk.
When you are using sound talk make the first sound louder than the others.
Encourage your child to recognise and learn the tricky words sent home for homework. These can not be sounded out but need to be recognised. (try playing matching pairs games with them or writing them in the sand or finding them in the books you share which is a lot more fun than just using flash cards)
Most importantly read with your child everyday and make book time special as children need to want to read for pleasure.