Our names are Laura Alexander and Lauren King. We are the subject leads for Phonics and Reading in school.

My name is Lauren King, I am a year 5/6 teacher in Kestrels. I am passionate about reading in school and believe all children should be able to enjoy books and immerse themselves in worlds beyond their own imaginations. 

My name is Laura Alexander, I am a year 3/4 teacher in Nightingales class. I have loved reading since I was at school and still continue to enjoy reading in my free time. I am really eager to get as many children as possible excited about books and reading for enjoyment.

For more information, please find below our subject policy and progression map.

Phonics at Round Hill

What is phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language. Written language can be compared to a code, so knowing the sounds of individual letters and how those letters sound when they’re combined will help children decode words as they read. Understanding phonics will also help children know which letters to use when they are writing words. Phonics involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters. For example, the sound k can be spelled as c, k, ck or ch. Teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out. 

During June all Year 1 children throughout the country will take part in the DfE Phonics Screening Check. Children in Year 2 will also take the test if they did not reach the DfE required result in Year 1 or if they have never taken the test before. The test contains 40 words and each child will sit with an adult 1:1 to complete the test. We hold a parent meeting in school at the beginning of the summer term to share more information about this and the slides from the meeting are attached at the bottom of this page. Guidance from the DfE can also be found on this link... Phonics screening check: information for parents - GOV.UK

At Round Hill we ensure this is a normal part of their reading diet and is done in line with normal classroom reading routines. We complete our 40-word challenge with smiles on our faces!

Phonics at Round Hill

At Round Hill Primary School we strive to ensure that all children become successful and fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. We believe this is achievable through a combination of high quality, discrete phonics teaching combined with a literature-rich approach that promotes a ‘reading for pleasure’ culture. We aim for all children at Round Hill to leave school at the end of Key Stage 2 with a genuine passion for reading and to have obtained all the skills they need to tackle a new book or text.

What do we teach?

We use a fantastic government approved phonics scheme called 'Bug Club Phonics' for teaching systematic synthetic phonics. Discrete phonics lessons take place daily across Reception and Key Stage 1 and offer children a range of activities and experiences to develop their speaking and listening skills and phonological awareness. Each lesson follows the cycle of ‘Assess, Teach, Practise and Apply’ to ensure that children are consolidating phonic knowledge and skills over time and that they are able to apply them in context. As part of the programme, children are also able to explore a variety of fiction and non-fiction books that are 100% decodable and access interactive videos and activities with games and pictures.

How can you help at home?

With all books, encourage your child to ‘sound out’ unfamiliar words and then blend the sounds together from left to right rather than looking at the pictures to guess. Once your child has read an unfamiliar word you can talk about what it means and help him or her to follow the story. If you would like clarification on some sounds click the following link:  https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/asset-library/interactive/primary/bugclub/alphabet/index.html  or watch this video Phonics: How to pronounce pure sounds | Oxford Owl

Try to make time to read with your child every day and make books a part of family life. Grandparents and older brothers or sisters can help too!

Word games like ‘I-spy’ can also be an enjoyable way of teaching children about sounds and letters. You can also encourage your child to read words from your shopping list or road signs to practise phonics.

If you would like to know more about Bug Club click on the links below.

For further information on how we have adapted our book bands and how this links to Bug Club book bands visit the Reading page.