Early Reading and Phonics at Avanti Meadows

What do we teach in Phonics and why?

Here at Avanti Meadows, we believe that reading is at the heart of our children’s education. For that reason, all children are taught Phonics from the moment they start in Reception.

We currently use the Ruth Miskin Read, Write, Inc program, which is the leading Phonics programme in the UK. The RWI programme teaches synthetic phonics, sight vocabulary, decoding and encoding words as well as spelling and accurate letter formation.

Children in Reception receive a daily thirty-minute phonics session and those children in KS1 receive one hour. Within these classes, children are exposed to new sounds, taught to blend, taught to segment words in order to write them and use their phonics knowledge to decode new words and texts.

If we are concerned about a child’s progress or understanding, we also provide a daily 1:1 tutoring session led by a Phonics teacher. All classes in Reception and KS1 have an additional Speed Sound lesson each afternoon.

Our aim, at Avanti Meadows is to fully equip children with the phonics and reading skills needed for them to be successful in Primary school and beyond.

How do we teach Phonics and in what order?

Phonics is highly valued and included daily as a part of all children’s learning.

We start by teaching children to read and blend the first thirty Set 1 sounds. To help them form each letter, they are taught a simple mnemonic. Alongside this, they are taught to blend and form simple words with three single sounds.
Once they have learnt this skill, they start reading appropriate levels books so that they can embed and apply their phonics knowledge and build their reading fluency.

Once secure, children then move onto learning Set 2 and Set 3 sounds where they are exposed to more complex phonemes and graphemes.

Phonics is streamed into ability groups so all children receive personalised learning linked to their knowledge and targets. Each group is taught by a RWI trained member of staff. All phonics teachers have access to high quality resources and each group is taught in an engaging phonics area with resources on show to support.
Sessions include a range of partner and independent work. They are lively, interactive and fast-paced ensuring high levels of engagement and rapid progress.

To support children’s learning at home, phonics home learning is shared weekly in KS1 with video links and green words to practise. Children also take home two books each week from the Ruth Miskin program. Parents are also invited to attend Phonics engagements sessions and coffee mornings to support at home.

Class teachers also use lots of the vocabulary and routines from RWI classes across the whole curriculum to really imbed them and ensure children are secure and confident.

What is the impact for the children we serve?

Since starting the RWI programme, we have already seen an increase in children’s confidence and ability. They are feeling successful and are more willing to read because books are matched to their needs. Children know and apply the vocabulary used in lessons such as ‘green words’ ‘red words’ and ‘special friends’ and feel confident when talking about their learning.

We can see that children are applying their learnt sounds to their independent writing and recognising phonemes and graphemes in new words.

All children from Reception to Year Two are assessed at the end of each half term using the Online RWI Assessment. These results are tracked and analysed and the Reading Leader then groups children to ensure they are receiving the sounds and reading level they require.

Based on this, ‘spotlight’ children are highlighted and 1:1 tutoring is scheduled daily in order to support them and address any gaps in their learning.

When a new child starts at Avanti Meadows, they are assessed on their first day and put straight into an appropriate Phonics set.

All phonics teachers across Reception to Year 2 meet weekly with the Reading leader to discuss groups and receive training. This allows for open conversation and ensures children’s attainment and progress is understood by all.

At the end of Year 1, Children are assessed using a Government Statutory Assessment tool known as the Phonics Screening Check. This screening check confirms whether a child has learnt phonics decoding to an appropriate standard. Those who do not reach the expected standard will receive appropriate support in Year 2 and retake the test again the following year.

In 2023, we had 79.2% pass rate, in line with the National Average of 79.6%

At the end of Year 2, Children at Avanti Meadows complete their KS1 S.A.T’s. We are confident that our Phonics sessions and daily practise will also improve these outcomes, putting them in line, or above, National expectations.

Reading in Key Stage 2

Pupils are given individual reading books to take home and rehearse key skills in reading linked to their learning at school. Pupils also take part in daily whole class reading sessions with a focus on inference, deduction, using evidence from the text and reinforcing reading for pleasure across genres.

Reading is taught across the curriculum and language acquisition is a focus in all subject areas.

Pupils will as a class interpret questions linked to a text such as:

  • What evidence in the text is there to support…?​
  • How does the character  feel about his XXX and what is their relationship like? Use evidence.​​
  • What does  XXX say to make you think that she is feeling confident that Cam will change his mind?
  • Why do you think the author has used the word solemn to describe XXX and what is the impact on the reader?
  • What is the mood of the text in the first paragraph and how is this created?
  • Why is it important to listen to advice? 

The lesson is heavily weighted towards discussion around a text​ so that pupils are able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.