Phonics

Mrs Mushtaq- Phonics lead

Teaching Phonics at Bardfield Academy

How We Teach Phonics at Bardfield Academy

At Bardfield Academy, we want every child to feel successful when learning to read. To give them the very best start, we use a programme called Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics, which we introduced in 2023. We have seen children make fantastic progress using this synthetic phonic programme. Parents and families love to come in and join for our ‘Learn with my Child’ sessions, where they can see how phonics is taught here in the school.  

Phonics is simply learning how letters and groups of letters make sounds, and then blending those sounds together to read words. With RWI, children quickly grow in confidence as readers and writers, and most importantly, develop a real love of books. As well as daily phonic lessons, we use fast track tutoring to help children catch up and keep up, if they need additional practice and support.

From Reception through to Key Stage 1, children take part in daily phonics lessons. We regularly check their progress to make sure they are always learning at the right level for them, moving them on when ready.

The programme is taught in three sets of sounds. In the sections below, you’ll find resources and guidance to help you support your child’s current stage at home.

Set 1 Sounds

First, your child will learn to read:

• Set 1 Speed Sounds: these are sounds written with one letter:
• Set 1 sounds written with two letters (‘special friends’).
• Simple words containing these sounds, by sound-blending.
• Read words in carefully levelled Red, Green and Purple Storybooks.

In Set 1 each sound is linked to a picture hook and short rhyme to help the children learn and remember them.

Learning to Blend Simple Words

Your child will learn to read words containing Set 1 Speed Sounds by blending sounds together to create words. We call this ‘Fred Talk’.

1. m-a-t mat
2. c-a-t cat
3. g-o-t got
4. f-i-sh fish
5. s-p-o-t spot
6. b-e-s-t best
7. s-p-l-a-sh splash

Set 2 Sounds

Now that your child knows all their single sounds, some simple ‘special friends’ and has learnt to blend simple words, they will now learn:

• To read and recognise Set 2 Speed Sounds: ay, ee, igh, ow (as in blow) oo (as in zoo) oo (as in look), ar, or, air, ir, ou (as in out), oy
• To read words containing these sounds
• Read a wider range of ‘red words’ (words that cannot be read using phonic skills).
• To read Pink, Orange and Yellow Storybooks, building speed and fluency.

With Set 2 sounds each sound is linked to a picture hook and a rhyme to help the children learn and remember the sounds.

Set 3 Sounds

Your child is now growing in reading ability and confidence. In Set 3, they will learn to:

• Read Set 3 Speed Sounds: ea oi a-e i-e o-e u-e aw are ur er ow ai oa ew ire ear ure
• Read words containing these new sounds
• Read further ‘Red words’ that cannot be read using phonic skills.
• Read Blue and Grey Storybooks with increasing speed.

With Set 3 sounds, each sound is linked with a picture and rhyme to help the children learn and remember them:

Teaching Set 3 Sounds at Home

This video of Set 3 Read Write Inc. shows how you can help teach and support your child to learn.

Set 3 sounds introduce split diagraphs (previously known as magic e). An example can be seen below.

Useful Websites

Parent guide to Read Write Inc. Phonics | Oxford Owl – Really useful website that includes a worksheet for each letter of Set 1 to practise letter formation.

Set 1 – Parent Reading at Home Booklet 1

Set 2 & 3 Parent Reading at Home Booklet 2

Amazon – RWI Flashcards – A useful pack of flashcards to use when practising sounds and blending.

Amazon – RWI Flashcards Set 2 and 3 – A useful pack of flashcards to use when practising sounds and blending.

Set 1 QR Codes until April – QR codes linking to videos for each Set 1 sound

Set 3 QR Codes until April – QR codes linking to videos for each Set 3 sound.

Once children reach the end of Set 1, they know enough sounds to read simple sentences. Children progress through a range of colour levels. Each level is carefully matched to the child’s current phonic ability. This means children are able to read and access texts by themselves and quickly grow in speed and confidence. The progression through book levels is shown below:

As part of the Read Write Inc. programme, the children have an hourly phonic lesson daily and during this lesson they will have:

• Speed sound lesson – introduced to new sound and recap all sounds (a new sound is taught every day working from Set 1, Set 2, Set 3 and Extra Sounds)
• Read Green Words (words that contain a new sound or a previously taught sound – see further information below)
• Read Red Words (non-decodable high frequency words – see further information below)
• Read ‘Alien Words’ (made up from all sounds)
• Fred Finger Spelling
• Spelling rule activity
• Hold a Sentence (dictation – based on new or previously taught sound – see further information below)Read Write Inc

Green Words

Green words are important words that the children will encounter in the story that they can phonetically decode. They are split into Speedy Green (Words that children will encounter often) and Story Green (Words that are specific to the story).

Firstly, children practise reading these words together with their teacher. They discuss the meanings of these words where needed so that children understand this new vocabulary before they begin reading.

Children then practise reading their green words.

Red Words

These are words that children cannot use their sounds to read and need to be recognised by sight. Children practise and discuss these words with their teacher.

Hold a Sentence

This is a dictation activity. The teacher will read a sentence and practise saying this whole sentence with the children. Next, the teacher will model how to write this sentence using the correct punctuation. This will then be hidden. The children then write this sentence from memory. Finally, the children check their sentences against the teacher model.