Phonics

Sounds Write 

St. Augustine's follows the Sounds Write Phonics/Spelling Programme

Sounds-Write is a synthetic phonics programme based on the science of reading. Starting by showing the children a whole word (the language that they understand) and segmenting that word into sounds. They are taught to segment and blend sounds from the very start. Children begin their phonics programme as soon as they start school, in Reception class.  It is taught daily.  It is also accompanied by reading books, that the children can read once they have been introduced to a set of sounds. As the children move through school they will continue to use spellings strategies taught through the Sounds-Write program.

In Reception they start on the ‘Initial Code’.

The sounds are taught in this order, within words from the start.

a, i, m, s, t, n, o, p, b, c, g, h, d, e, f, v, k, l, r, u, j, w, z, x, y

ff, ll, ss, zz

They are taught to segment, blend and manipulate those sounds.

They then learn that some spellings are written with two different letters.

sh, ch, th, ck, wh, ng, qu

In year 1 and 2 they then start on the ‘Extended Code’. 

• They learn that a sound can be represented by more than one spelling (eg ai, ay, eigh, a-e)
• They learn the most common spellings for each sound.
• Prefixes and suffixes (un-,re-, -ed, -ing, -er, -est)
• Homophones (eg see/sea, flour/flower)
• They learn some common exception words

They then move to polysyllabic words

They learn to

• u separate words into syllables
• u segment each syllable into sounds
• u blend sounds into syllables
• u blend syllables into a word

In years 3 and 4 they consolidate and apply all that they have learnt, continuing to use the Sounds-Write program for whole class and group interventions.

They also learn

• A wider range of prefixes and suffixes ( eg sub, super, anti, auto, ly, ous)
• Spellings with foreign origins - eg chalet (French) scheme (Greek). 
• Homophones and near homophones (missed/mist, peace/piece

In years 5 and 6 they revise previous work, again using Sounds-Write as an intervention where needed

• Endings like tious, cious, ation, ence, able, ible
• The i before e except after c rule
• The –ough spelling eg cough, dough, plough
• Silent letters eg island
• Other homophones and words that are often confused eg farther and father, heard and herd.