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We use the Unlocking Letters and Sounds phonics programme. We begin teaching phonics in the first few weeks of term 1 in Reception, building on their language development in nursery. At Welton, children make rapid progress in their reading journey. Children begin to learn the main sounds heard in the English Language and how they can be represented, as well as learning ‘Common Exception’ words for Phases 2, 3 and 4. They use these sounds to read and write simple words, captions and sentences. Children leave Reception being able to apply the phonemes taught within Phase 2, 3 and 4.
In Year 1 through Phase 5a, b and c, they learn any alternative spellings and pronunciations for the graphemes and additional Common Exception Words. By the end of Year 1 children will have mastered using phonics to decode and blend when reading and segment when spelling. In Year 1, all children are screened using the national Phonics Screening Check.
In Year 2, phonics continues to be revisited to ensure mastery of the phonetic code and any child who does not meet age related expectations will continue to receive support to close identified gaps.
For further details please see our Unlocking Letters and Sounds progression document below.
To ensure no child is left behind at any point in the progression, children are regularly assessed and supported to keep up through bespoke 1-1 interventions. These include GPC recognition and blending and segmenting interventions. The lowest attaining 20% of pupils are closely monitored to ensure these interventions have an impact.
The reading books children take home are very closely matched to a child's current phonics knowledge so that every child can experience real success in their reading and decode at least 95% of the text. We use books from a range of reading schemes which have been carefully matched to ensure complete fidelity to the Unlocking Letters and Sounds progression.
At Welton Primary School, we provide children with a high-quality education in reading so that they are able to read fluently and with confidence. We encourage all children to a read range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction, fostering a love of reading. Alongside this, we provide them with skills to develop their comprehension, allowing them to gain knowledge across the curriculum and the world around them. We believe that reading empowers children to be better global citizens.
Our reading curriculum builds on and enhances the National Curriculum. The Reading Progression Model and clear expectations, for each year group, ensure that pupils develop their fluency and understanding at an age appropriate level in a sequentially coherent way.
At Welton Primary School, we strive to promote a love of writing and to enable the children to express themselves with clarity in all areas of the curriculum.
The approach to the planning for teaching and learning of writing at Welton Primary School is based on high quality texts linked to topics across the wider curriculum. Writing is closely linked to reading therefore our approach to writing is primarily text based. Teachers use the MNSP Whole School Writing Curriculum Progression document in conjunction with the National Curriculum/Foundation Stage Curriculum from which to plan for their year group. Year group long term overviews provide detail of the stimulus texts, writing genres and how the curriculum is covered over the year.
Whole School Writing Progression 2023-24