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Our Curriculum

Phonics

Sounds-Write

At Ashby Willesley Primary School, we teach phonics using a linguistic phonics programme called Sounds-Write. Sounds-Write is a very highly structured, multi-sensory approach to teaching children to read and spell. Its structure and simplicity makes it a programme accessible to all learners and helps them to make excellent progress with their reading and spelling.

The four key concepts children are taught are

1. Letters are symbols that represent sounds

2. Sounds can be spelled using 1, 2, 3 or 4 letters

3. The same sound can be spelled in different ways

4. The same spelling can represent different sounds

The three key skills children need to master are:

1. Blending

2. Segmenting

3. Phoneme manipulation

Building Confidence

Key Concepts

Children in our Foundation Stage begin with the initial code where they practise all three key skills whilst learning the 1:1 sound-spelling correspondences and securing their understanding of key concept 1.

This builds up confidence and phonic knowledge in a truly reversible system, enabling them to decode and encode a wide range of words and sentences. At first, children learn to read and write simple one syllable words with a CVC structure.

Complexity of word structure systematically builds up so that children apply their code knowledge to monosyllabic words with up to six sounds.

Lifelong Learning

Once the initial code has been mastered, children continue to practise all three key skills whilst learning the extended code which explores key concepts 2, 3 and 4. Learning of the extended code is a lifelong process – we all continue to develop our understanding of this code whenever we encounter new words. Whilst learning the extended code, children read and write monosyllabic and polysyllabic words at an age-appropriate level.

Children in Foundation Stage and KS1 have a 30 minute phonics lesson every day, in addition to their reading and writing lessons.

We encourage all of our parents to access the free Sounds-Write online course for parents: Help your child to read and write so that they are well-informed about how best to support their children with their reading.

Silver Award

Our school has been accredited with the Sounds-Write Silver Award as part of the Sounds-Write Schools accreditation programme. This is a significant achievement that demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that all students receive the highest quality phonics education, which is essential to their development as proficient readers and writers.

The Sounds-Write Silver Award recognises the strong leadership in phonics teaching across our school. We have worked hard to ensure that the programme is delivered with fidelity and consistency. We are also committed to continually improving our practice to achieve the best outcomes for all students.

This recognition is a reflection of our dedication to the continuous improvement of phonics instruction, and we will continue to work hard to provide the best possible literacy education for our students. If you'd like to learn more, please visit the Sounds-Write website and follow this link for additional information for parents.

Support for Parents and Carers