Phonics
Phonics is taught using Phonics International, including No Nonsense Phonics Skills. It is taught daily from Reception to Year 2 and is also used as an intervention across the whole school. It has a two pronged approach, where the skills of handwriting; reading and spelling are taught cumulatively and incidentally.
Assessment
Phonics is assessed daily as part of the routine. Spelling and handwriting is assessed formally at the end of each unit and tracked across the whole school.
The fundamental underpinning rationale of Phonics International and the No Nonsense Phonics Skills series is the ‘two-pronged systematic and incidental phonics teaching’ approach. This means that teaching, or using, new code beyond the systematic, planned introduction of letter/s-sound correspondences is included in the approach. Teaching staff and parents/carers know they can address any code in new printed words to read, or words required for writing, at any time, without this being problematic. Children are made aware of the notion of spelling alternatives and pronunciation alternatives from the outset of planned phonics teaching – supported by the use of overview Alphabetic Code Charts beginning in Reception.