Structure

The daily phonics sessions in EYFS and KS1 are approximately 20/25 minutes long with additional Supersonic Phonic Jobs to complete after the sessions, such as rehearsing our letter formations, applying our new skills in reading and writing. 

For our lowest 20% this may include a pre-teach for the following day to give them the skills they need to be able to participate fully in the session. Depending on teacher assessment throughout the phonics session, some children may also need a post-teach if they need further support to grasp a specific sound. 

Below is an example of the phonics session from Supersonic Phonic Friends which shows the format for all phonics teaching at NCS.

Phonics in The Nest Nursery

In The Nest children develop their phonological awareness through taking part in adult-led activities which promote listening skills. We use Phase 1 of the Supersonic Phonic Friends scheme. Through these activities our children develop their auditory discrimination, and auditory memory. Activities to support the progress in our children’s phonological awareness and interest in sounds, are embedded prior to the introduction of systematic phonics teaching in Reception. 

Children in Nursery are also able to use phonics play bags at home to support Phase 1 of the scheme. These are play based activities to complete with their families to encourage listening and auditory discrimination skills. 

Phonics in EYFS

In Reception, phonics sessions starts as soon as the children have successfully transitioned and settled. During the transitions we baseline the children to ascertain their current phonics ability. As children transition to NCS from a variety of different early years settings, the variation in previous learning differs. Some children may need further teaching input in Phase 1 prior to starting Phase 2. 

All phonics sessions are led by teaching staff in small ability groups. This enables us to drill down into each child's journey and needs. If some children need more consolidation to embed the learning, this enables us to be able to tailor sessions to suit the emerging needs. It also allows challenge for children who need it.

For children who may need a little more support we will use pre- and post-teach techniques to enhance their learning journey. Phonics playbags for Phase 1, 2 and 3 will be used to support their journey by extending this into their home to consolidate the phonics skills through play. 

By the end of Reception we expect most children to be fully secure in Phase 3 of their phonics journey, with some children moving onto Phase 4. 

It is very important that parents support their children at home with their phonics journey. This helps to consolidate their learning and practise their skills. One way is through early reading. There is more information about reading at home further down this page. Another way is to ask your child what they have learnt at school and incorporate this at home.

Parent's newsletter for Phase 2 phonics  

Parent's newsletter for Phase 3 phonics 

Parent's newsletter for Phase 4 phonics 

Phonics in Year 1

In Year One, phonics sessions will focus on Phase 4 and Phase 5, with a recap on Phase 3 at the start of the year based on children's needs. Teaching will be in small groups led by teaching staff enabling tailored support and challenge when required. 

For children who may need a little more support we will use pre- and post-teach techniques to enhance their learning journey. Phonics playbags will be used to support their journey by extending this into their home to consolidate the phonics skills through playful activities. 

Within the final half-term of Year One children will undertake their Phonics Screening Check to ascertain their level of understanding and ability to apply their knowledge. More information on the Phonics Screening Check can be found here. 

It is very important that parents support their children at home with their phonics journey. This helps to consolidate their learning and practise their skills. One way is through reading the school books sent home, but also supplementing this with looking for incidental learning when you are out and about. This could be reading road signs, menus, maps or reading comics and books from the library. It is important to understand what your child is learning at school and the order in which the phonic sounds are taught in.

Parent's newsletter for Phase 4 phonics 

Parent's newsletter for Phase 5 - choose to use sounds

Parent's newsletter for Phase 5 - switch it to spell sounds 

Phonics in Year 2

In Year Two, children will continue to follow Supersonic Phonic Friends scheme. Children who did not reach the pass mark in Year One for their Phonics Screening Check will revisit the phases of phonics they need to embed further. This will be closely monitored to ensure they receive the support they need to be able to apply their phonics knowledge to decode words with their known phonemes. 

Children in Year Two will continue to learn common exception words suitable for their current stage of development and will practise these in their reading and writing. 

As with Year One it is vital that parents support their children's learning journey by reading at home each day. The children will be taking decodable books home that are matched to their level of concrete understanding in their phonics journey. This ensures the child is able to comfortably read at home with success.