Phonics and early reading

Phonics and early reading at Dringhouses Primary School

To be literate and numerate are the cornerstones of a primary education. Reading is an ongoing priority here at Dringhouses Primary: to promote, and to inspire a love of. Learning to read begins with a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics, which continues through Reception into Key Stage One (and into Key Stage Two where appropriate).

At Dringhouses, we use the FFT Success For All Phonics Scheme which provides a highly structured and effective approach to reading through both daily phonics and whole class reading sessions. The focus of the weekly texts link directly to the focus of the phonics sessions and this allows for children to acquire and practise segmenting and blending skills whilst developing fundamental reading comprehension skills. The teachers draw upon observations and continuous assessment to ensure children are stretched and challenged and to identify children who may need additional support. Timely intervention is then planned for those children who require additional support as soon as their needs are identified. 

Reception Success For All Weekly Scope and Sequence

Year 1 Success For All Weekly Scope and Sequence

As children move into Year 2 and KS2, (once they have completed the Success For All programme), whole class reading sessions ensure that children continue to develop their word reading, comprehension skills and love of reading using high quality texts that link to the learning projects. Whole-class reading sessions mean that children of all attainment bands are immersed in the same high-quality literature and the discussions that these texts promote. Explicit reading skills taught in Key Stage One are prediction, vocabulary, sequencing, retrieval and inference. In Key Stage Two this is then built on by the explicit teaching of summarising, author choice and commenting and comparing.  

All children take home a reading book that supports the learning that takes place in school. Children accessing the Success For All phonics scheme access phonically decodable texts that allow them to practise and consolidate their segmenting and blending skills whilst developing their ability to read with fluency, expression and an understanding of what they have read. Beyond Year 1 children continue to move through the book banded system in which a wide variety of texts and genres are available. This development of children becoming readers is also supported by an engaging, well stocked library that classes access weekly and is open to families after school.