Phonics

At Sacred Heart RC Primary School and Nursery, phonics is taught as part of a broad and rich curriculum that engages children in a range of activities and experiences to develop their reading, writing and spelling.  It is multi-sensory, encompassing simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities that are fun and engaging for all children. We use the Lancashire 'Red Rose Phonics' as a systematic scheme. It is taught daily in discrete 30 minute sessions and phonics knowledge and skills are reinforced and applied across the curriculum.

We are closely supported in our work by the Lancashire Literacy team who provide training and advice for us throughout the year. This year we have accessed training for Red Rose Phonics. This is the only scheme that is used in school. With this package comes regular training and support from the Lancashire English team. Please see below for more information on leading the implementation of this scheme. 

 

 

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Phonics for Parents/Carers

At Sacred Heart RC Primary School and Nursery, we value parents/carers as a child's first educator. We regularly hold phonics sessions for parents/carers so they can develop their child's reading, writing and spelling. Please find a copies of the Phonics presentations and phonics leaflets below.

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Phonics Leaflet for Nursery Parents/Carers

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What is the phonics screening check?


The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge. It helps school confirm whether your child has made the expected progress. Each year the check will take place during June.


How does the check work?
• Your child will sit with a teacher he/she knows, and be asked to read 40 words aloud.
• Your child may have read some of the words before, while others will be completely new.
• The check normally takes just a few minutes to complete and there is no time limit. If your child is struggling, the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.


What are ‘non-words’?
The check will contain a mix of real words and ‘non-words’ (or ‘nonsense words’). Your child will be told before the check that there will be non-words that he or she will not have seen before. Many children will be familiar with this because many schools already use ‘non-words’ when they teach phonics. Non-words are important to include because words such as ‘vap’ or ‘jound’ are new to all children. Children cannot read the non-words by using their memory or vocabulary; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.


After the check
You will receive your child's phonics screening result with their end of year report, to inform you how they have done in the screening check. If your child has found the check difficult, we will put in place support throughout the end of Year 1 and Year 2. If a child fails to meet the expected standard they will have the opportunity to re-sit the test the following year. All children are individuals and develop at different rates. The screening check ensures that teachers understand which children need extra help with phonic decoding and reading.