Phonics at Prospect Hill Junior School

At Prospect Hill Junior School, we recognise that secure phonics knowledge is an essential foundation for children to become confident and fluent readers. Although children join us at Key Stage 2, we understand that some pupils may still require targeted phonics teaching to help them develop the accuracy, fluency and confidence they need to access the wider curriculum successfully.

When children join our school in Year 3, we carefully review information from their previous school, including their Year 2 Phonics Screening Check outcomes, alongside our own assessments of pupils' reading and phonics knowledge. This enables us to identify children who would benefit from continued systematic phonics teaching and ensure that support begins promptly.

Pupils in Years 3 and 4 who require further phonics teaching receive daily phonics sessions using Read Write Inc. Teaching is matched closely to pupils' identified gaps in knowledge, allowing them to revisit and secure the sounds and skills they need to become increasingly accurate and fluent readers. Pupils' progress is regularly reviewed so that teaching can be adapted as their knowledge and confidence develop.

For pupils in Years 5 and 6 who continue to require support with their phonics knowledge and reading fluency, we use Read Write Inc. Fresh Start as a targeted intervention. Fresh Start provides age-appropriate support for older pupils, helping them to strengthen their decoding, fluency, comprehension and spelling while enabling them to experience success as readers.

Our aim is for every child to become a confident, fluent and independent reader. Through early identification, carefully targeted teaching and regular assessment, we ensure that pupils who need additional support with phonics receive the teaching they need to catch up and participate fully in our reading-rich curriculum.