Intent, Implementation, and Impact Statement for Phonics at Monkshouse Primary

Intent
At Monkshouse Primary School our priority is to instill a love of reading and learning in all our children. From the very first day children start at our school, they are immersed in a language rich learning environment where language and literature drive and secure all aspects of the curriculum. The intent of Phonics teaching is to equip pupils with the necessary skills and knowledge to become confident and proficient readers and writers.

1. Clear Aims and Objectives
At Monkshouse Primary School, we use the DfE approved programme Sounds-Write to teach phonics. This programme is structured and progressive, with clear aims and objectives. The principles are in line with our school ethos in being a metacognitive school. It establishes high expectations for every child, whilst ensuring that cognitive load is optimised.

2. Sequential Instruction
The Sounds-Write programme ensures systematic progression and pacey instruction, using a planning approach of review, teach, practice and apply and a multi-sensory, structured lesson format. Children apply their skills through shared reading or transcriptional writing in every lesson. Sounds-Write works on the fundamental approach that errors and misconception are a prime area for teaching and as such, assessment of progress is continuous. Teachers use the script to support children, ensuring that those most at risk of falling behind are supported in the moment to narrow the gap with the most effective teaching strategies.

Phonics lessons are taught daily to all children in Reception to the end of Year2. Beyond KS1, any child identified as still needing phonics support will continue to have daily phonics lessons. Children progress through the systematic Initial Code and Extended Code programmes of Sounds-Write. The skills and knowledge for reading and writing are taught in Reception and continue to be embedded throughout KS1 as more spelling patterns are taught. Using reading books that have been accurately matched to the phonics scheme, children secure their phonic knowledge and develop fluency, prosody and comprehension.

3. Addressing the Needs of All Learners
Our Phonics curriculum demonstrates an awareness of the diverse needs and abilities of our pupils. We plan lessons that are accessible to all, ensuring that all students, including those with special educational needs, are supported to make progress. Some children will find phonics more challenging than their peers. These children will be identified by their teacher and will be supported in the moment with verbal feedback, modelling and through additional interventions planned to help diminish the gap. Identified children are monitored more closely by the class teacher and Phonics Lead.

4. Foster a Love for Reading
We are proud that at Monkshouse Primary School we focus not only on the technical aspects of phonics but also on inspiring a love for reading from a very young age. We provide enriching experiences including
author visits and storytelling events, a wide variety of high-quality texts during lessons and storytimes, innovative reading initiatives and have early reading as a key priority in school. A love of reading is celebrated in every classroom, in our whole school’s read and relax area and on our school website.

Implementation
To ensure consistently good phonics provision, all staff in school have been trained in the pedagogy of phonics as well as the skills and knowledge needed to become an effective reader and writer. All staff have been trained in the language to use when supporting all children in school with reading and writing, with a particular emphasis on early reading and spelling instruction. It is our intent to ensure that staff are confident in supporting children using the scriptures and strategies not just in specific phonics lessons, but in all areas of the curriculum. Staff who have been identified as expert phonics teachers continue to model high quality phonics teaching to others and all staff are encouraged to undertake CPD to improve their own practice.

1. High-Quality Phonics Teaching
Sounds-Write is a linguistic programme with a multi-sensory approach, incorporating visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic techniques to enhance learning. High quality phonics teaching is monitored and outstanding practice shared using a coaching model. Staff are regularly supported with training and peer teaching to ensure standards in phonics lessons are high so that all children are given the best possible opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to become competent readers and writers.

2. Systematic and Synthetic Phonics
Children in the Nursery have high quality early phonics lessons following the DfE 2007 Letters and Sounds Phase 1 programme of study. This gives children the essential foundations for rapid and successful phonics spelling acquisition when they start Reception, at whichever school they transition to. Sounds-Write is a DfE approved systematic and synthetic programme that is used at Monskhouse Primary School from Reception to Year 6 to ensure our children become effective readers and writers. The Initial Code is taught in Reception and focuses on the single sound spellings, the 10 common two-spelling sounds and all of the skills and knowledge needed to read and write. There is a specific focus on adjacent consonants, ensuring that the skill in reading and writing these is secure before more complex spelling patterns are taught. In Year 1 children are introduced to the Extended Code. This is a programme of study for more complex spelling patterns, looking at the most common two and three spelling patterns for the sounds in the English language. In Year 2 children continue with the Extended Code. The sounds taught in Year 1 are revisited and more spelling patterns, the less common, are taught for those sounds. In KS2, Sounds-Write is used to teach and explore a broader range of vocabulary and more complex spellings, often through polysyllabic words. The morphology and etymology of words is studied.

3. Effective Assessment and Tracking
A fundamental aspect of teaching phonics is being able to use pupil errors and misconceptions as a prime teaching point. Sounds-Write supports this and all staff at Monkshouse have been trained in the scripture used to support children when errors occur, turning those moments into positive teaching moments. Assessment is therefore ongoing and support is able to be given in that moment which research has shown is the most effective and has the biggest impact on progress. Alongside this, summative assessments inform teachers about individual needs and class trends in both acquisition progress and challenges. Teachers and the Phonics Lead evaluate this data and use it to have constructive discussions about specific children’s progress and teaching strategies that have been used. Interventions are be planned to support those children most at risk of falling behind.

Impact
At Monkshouse Primary School, the impact of our phonics teaching can be seen in the progress children make in reading and writing, developing fluency and comprehension at a progressive rate. Children are engaged in phonics lessons and develop an interest in the etymology of words as they move into KS2. They are familiar with spelling patterns and are equipped with the knowledge and skills to enable them to accurately decode, read and comprehend new texts.

1. High Attainment and Progress Over Time
All staff at Monkshouse Primary School have regular CPD to ensure everyone knows about the impact of high-quality phonics teaching and high levels of attainment on children’s future life chances. Research is used to drive and support good phonics practice, with staff invested in ensuring all children have a deep, life-long understanding of phonics to enable them to access learning beyond KS1 and to be able to enjoy the great pleasures of reading. Expectations of all pupils are high and the impact of this is evident in progressively high quality writing and confidence in discussing text as children journey through school.

2. Independence and Fluency in Reading
All children in Reception and KS1 have a reading book that is matched to their phonics level. This ensures that children are able to access texts independently and develop a love of reading, applying their phonetic knowledge and skills. Children read 1:1 with a staff member at least once a week, and will read daily through phonics lessons, shared reading lessons and in other curriculum subjects. As children become more familiar with their independent reading book, they will progress from decoding to mastering fluency at that level. With fluency will come prosody and comprehension. Children are equipped to explore a wide range of genres and confidently tackle unfamiliar words. The impact of our phonics teaching is evident when children are no longer learning to read, but reading to learn.

3. Sustained Love for Reading
The children at Monkshouse Primary School become fluent readers with a deep love of literature. Literature opens up a new world of learning and discovery, whether through non-fiction texts, fiction inspired by real events or fiction that transports readers off on an adventure to far-off places. All staff at Monkshouse Primary School are committed to sharing and nurturing a love of reading across the school community. Initiatives including KS2 Reading Influencers, book reviews and author studies as well as mystery readers and our team of volunteer Reading Champions, ensures that children are supported and encouraged to read for pleasure as well as to learn. As well as a decodeable reading book, children in Reception and KS1 have a reading for pleasure book to take home each week. This is a self-chosen book and may be one they have chosen to have read to them, to re-read as it brings up comforting memories or one that they are confident in and take great pleasure from reading independently. The school has a good range of high-quality books, including hi-low, fiction and non-fiction books for children to choose from.

4. Support for Disadvantaged Learners
Children that are identified as being disadvantaged receive targeted support. At Monkshouse Primary School we employ a teacher to support with 1:1 reading in KS1, focusing on those children that find reading more challenging or have been identified as disadvantaged. When the Phonics Lead and teachers analyse data, children that are identified as disadvantaged are monitored more closely and interventions are implemented to address any gaps in learning, narrowing the gap and ensuring all pupils, regardless of their backgrounds, make progress. Disadvantaged learners receive additional support through interventions lead
by a teacher or TAs. This not only ensures that children at risk of falling behind are supported, but also that, with a focus on aiming high, all children are challenged to meet their full potential.

Conclusion
The phonics provision at Monkshouse Primary School, as outlined in this document, demonstrates a clear intent, effective implementation, and a positive impact on pupils' progress and attainment. Staff are vigilant to the needs of learners and respond proactively to address barriers that develop. By regular monitoring of teaching and learning, awareness of current best practice and the impact of effective research studies, staff are equipped to deliver high quality teaching in all phonics lessons. This cultivates a teaching and learning culture around phonics and reading which is positive and effective having maximum impact on children’s confidence, enthusiasm and ability to read and write. We are laying the foundations and adding the building blocks for all our children to have a successful future.