Phonics at Palmarsh

At Palmarsh Primary School we aim for all our children to become fluent, confident readers who are passionate about reading.

Children who read regularly or are read to regularly have the opportunity to open the doors to so many different worlds!

More importantly, reading will give your child the tools to become independent life-long learners.

We can achieve this together through:

• Twinkl Phonics, a program to help to your child read at school
• Encouraging children to develop a love of books by reading to them daily, at home and at school
• Giving children access to a wide range of books at school and at home
• ‘Happy Talk’ and ‘Adventure Island’ – an approach to Phase 1 phonics and the adventure of learning to add an extra layer of magic to our phonics teaching. Created by Greg Bottrill, it is an immersion into language, story and song.

At Palmarsh we have chosen to follow the Twinkl Phonics Scheme which is a full comprehensive, synthetic phonics teaching programme designed to be used from Reception to Year 2. Our lessons will be delivered through the stories and adventures of Sam, Kit and their family. The scheme builds and develops the skills and understanding children need to become effective, independent readers and writers. 

Intent  - To have a Phonics programme that clearly outlines the knowledge, skills and understanding children will develop to read and write effectively. 

Implementation - To achieve our intentions, around the school you will see:

• Well-planned and structured phonics lessons that follow a 5-part pattern to support the differing needs of the learners. 
• A successful and stimulating phonics environment where children can access resources and support at all times. 
• Regular monitoring and data analysis which is used to inform future practise. 

Impact - The impact can be measured by...

• Talking to the children! They will share with you enthusiasm towards the subject, a ‘can do’ attitude with strategies to access at all levels.
• Talking to the parents! Parents are communicated to regularly about the progress of their child, with information given on how to support at home. At Palmarsh we have  an open door policy where parents can contact the class teachers is they need help or guidance. 
• Children learning Phonics at their own pace and to suit their needs, ensuring interventions and extra support are in place where needed. Same day interventions for those children that need to catch up are common. 
• Good results in the Phonics Screening Test at Year 1. 

Rhino Readers

Rhino Readers are a scheme of books that follow our Phonics Curriculum. Each book is matched to the level in which your child is currently learning, children will only meet the sounds and words they’ve already been taught as well as learning Tricky Words along the way. The book is split into three parts;

Before Reading -these pages include sounds that will appear in the book, focus words and tricky words. 
The Story itself 
After Reading - these pages include a comprehension based activity to go alongside the book. This checks understanding of what has been read. 

Reading books will be changed ONCE a week on a Monday.

Children will take home up to 3 books for the week:

• A book they have read in Guided Reading sessions with their teacher; they should be able to read this with confidence and expression! 
• Phonics level book 
• Library book to promote an enjoyment and love of Reading which can also challenge or be read at bed time.