DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR
PHONICS CURRICULUM
At Holy Cross, we believe reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Learning to read is one of the most important skills a child will ever develop, as it provides the foundation for success across the curriculum and helps to develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading.We follow the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, a widely used systematic Phonics scheme that teaches children how to read with confidence and success.Daily practice is essential for children to become confident readers and therefore Phonics is taught every day from 10:10am to 10:50am.All children across F2, Year 1 and Year 2 are taught in attainment groups to ensure that teaching is carefully matched to their stage of learning and sessions are delivered by teachers and teaching assistants who have received Read Write Inc training.Children begin by learning letter sounds before progressing to reading words containing those sounds. They then move on to reading sentences, gradually building their confidence and accuracy until they are reading stories.The sounds are taught in a carefully planned sequence, with each sound supported by a memorable rhyme or phrase to help children recall it. The image below shows the order in which the sounds are taught alongside the phrase.
Once children have confidently learnt individual letter sounds, they begin to develop the important skills of blending and segmenting sounds to read e.g. c-a-t = cat. Words that can be sounded out are known as ‘Green Words’.
Alongside learning to read ‘Green words’ that they can sound out, children are also taught ‘Red Words’. These are common words that cannot be sounded out using Phonics and therefore need to be recognised by sight.
Each Friday, your child will bring home a reading book that has been carefully matched to their current reading ability and the sounds they have been learning in their phonics lessons. We strongly encourage you to read with your child every evening, as regular practice at home helps to develop fluency, comprehension and confidence. Please record each reading session in your child’s yellow reading journal so that we can celebrate their progress together.
Reading is a partnership between home and school, and we greatly value your support. If you have any questions about your child’s reading journey or would like advice on how to support them at home, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher. We are more than happy to help!