Phonics & Early Reading

We ensure our children have the best possible start on their reading and writing journey through Thorn's bespoke and rigorous Systematic Synthetic Phonics Program developed from Letters & Sounds which progresses through Phases 2 - 5 with specific daily lessons to meet, and exceed expectations based on the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum for Year One. Our daily 30 minute lessons follow a revisit/review, teach, practise, apply approach with carefully sequenced tricky words and high frequency words interwoven. Application opportunities are planned throughout to ensure  blending and segmenting of words and sentences with regular assessment opportunities.

This is complemented by 'Red Rose Communication, Language and Literacy Phonological Awareness - Phase 1' which has also evolved from Letters and Sounds and is underpinned by extensive research in CLL with a key focus on Phonological Awareness and the foundations of literacy. This provides a rigorous and thorough planning programme in order to strengthen the teaching and learning of Phase 1 Phonological Awareness. It ensures that children become successful communicators, paving the way for them to make a good start on their reading and writing journey.

Our teaching of phonics is further enhanced through 'Fast Track Phonics'  and 'Bounce Back Phonics' -  systematic, synthetic phonics catch up planning programmes developed from Letters and Sounds  providing rigorous and thorough planning to enable children (from EYFS-KS2), who are falling behind, to catch up with all phases of phonic knowledge to ensure effective application in reading and writing.

We use a range of phonetically decodable books which are both closely and carefully matched to our phonics trajectory as well as to the reading needs of the children.

The phonetically decodable books we use include:

Pearson Phonics Bug

Collins Big Cat Phonics 

Little Blending Books

Reading Stars (Phase 1)