Intent  

At Meriden CE Primary School, we believe that reading is the foundation of all learning and that every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader. We are committed to developing a love of reading from the earliest years through high-quality phonics teaching, rich language experiences and exposure to engaging texts. 

Our aim is to provide children with the knowledge and skills they need to decode, read fluently and comprehend what they read. We recognise that children learn at different rates and are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive the support they need to succeed. We recognise the importance of regularly assessing children's phonics and early reading development to ensure that every child receives the support they need to succeed. Through ongoing assessment and close partnership with parents and carers, we aim to identify strengths and next steps promptly, enabling targeted support and consistent reinforcement of learning both at school and at home. Through high-quality teaching, targeted intervention and carefully planned progression from Nursery to Year 2, we strive to ensure that all children leave Key Stage 1 as confident and fluent readers who are well prepared for the next stage of their education. 

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Implementation  

In Nursery, Reception and Year 1, children follow Floppy’s Phonics, a systematic synthetic phonics programme that is adapted where necessary to meet the needs of our children while maintaining clear progression in phonics knowledge and skills. 

In Nursery, children follow a bespoke phonics curriculum aligned with Floppy’s Phonics Phase 1. Teaching focuses on developing the essential listening, speaking and phonological awareness skills that underpin future reading success. Children engage in activities that develop: 

• Environmental sounds 
• Instrumental sounds 
• Body percussion 
• Rhythm and rhyme 
• Alliteration 
• Voice sounds 
• Oral blending and segmenting 

To promote a love of books and storytelling, Nursery children take home a book of their choice from the book corner each week to share with their families. 

In Reception and Year 1, children participate in daily phonics lessons that explicitly teach letter-sound correspondences, blending for reading and segmenting for spelling. Reception children are also taught tricky words that cannot be fully decoded using their current phonic knowledge, enabling them to develop reading fluency and confidence. Daily handwriting sessions support the development of correct letter formation and transcription skills. 

Reception children take home fully decodable reading books that are carefully matched to the phonics sounds and words they have been taught in school, allowing them to practise and consolidate their learning at home. 

Children who require additional support are identified through ongoing assessment. Both teachers and teaching assistants work with targeted groups during phonics lessons and throughout the school day to provide additional teaching and practice. Children requiring the greatest support are prioritised for daily reading with an adult to develop fluency, accuracy and confidence. 

In Year 1, weekly spellings are linked directly to the phonics patterns and sounds taught that week, alongside high-frequency and common exception words, enabling children to apply their phonics knowledge in both reading and writing. 

In Year 2, children continue to develop their spelling and grammar knowledge through daily grammar starter activities and weekly spelling instruction and assessments following the Read Write Inc. Spelling programme. Any child who has not met the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check receives daily targeted phonics intervention, with a strong focus on closing gaps in learning and developing reading fluency. 

Children's phonics knowledge and early reading development are assessed regularly through teacher assessment and half-termly phonics tracking. Assessment information is recorded using Phonics Tracker and is carefully analysed to identify individual strengths, gaps in learning and children requiring additional support. Year 1 pupils are also given regular opportunities to practise past screening tests. The information gathered is used to inform planning, adapt teaching and create purposeful interventions that address identified needs. This ensures that support is timely, targeted and effective, enabling children to make strong progress from their starting points. 

Parents and carers are regularly informed of their child's phonics and reading progress and are provided with information about how they can support learning at home. By working in partnership with families, we ensure that children receive consistent messages and opportunities to practise and consolidate their phonics knowledge beyond the classroom. 

Across EYFS and KS1, a love of reading is fostered through regular opportunities to engage with high-quality texts. Carefully selected books are shared and explored throughout the year to develop vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and enjoyment of reading. 

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Impact 

As a result of our approach, children develop strong foundations in phonics and early reading and make good progress from their individual starting points. They become increasingly confident in recognising sounds, blending to read words and segmenting words for spelling. 

Children read books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge, enabling them to experience success and build confidence as readers. They develop a secure understanding of both decodable and non-decodable words, allowing them to read with increasing fluency and automaticity. 

Robust assessment and tracking procedures ensure that children's progress is monitored closely and that any gaps in learning are identified and addressed promptly. As a result, interventions are carefully matched to children's needs and support progress in phonics and early reading. 

 

Parents have a clear understanding of their child's next steps and are equipped with strategies to support reading and phonics development at home. This strong partnership between school and home contributes to increased confidence, reading fluency and positive outcomes for all children. 

Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards reading and engage enthusiastically with books, stories and language-rich experiences. They are able to discuss texts, apply their phonics and spelling knowledge in their writing and show increasing independence as readers. 

By the end of Key Stage 1, children have developed the phonics knowledge, reading fluency and spelling skills required for future success. They leave as confident readers with a growing love of reading and the skills needed to access learning across the curriculum. 

 

 

The teaching cycle: click HERE to watch the video!​