Phonics

A key intent for our curriculum is quality teaching and application of phonics from the Early Years to Key Stage 1. Phonics teaches children to read and write by blending and segmenting individual sounds. Children in Early years and Key Stage 1 take part in daily phonics sessions which focus on skills such as decoding to read words and segmenting the sounds in a given word to spell. We also teach children to spell ‘tricky words’ which are words that you cannot sound out.

Digraph – two letters make one sound (e.g. sh, ch, ai, ea, ou, ow).

Trigraph – three letters make one sound (e.g. igh, ear, air, ure).

Split digraph – two letters make one sound but the letters have been split apart by another letter. (e.g. the a - e sound in cape)

Phoneme – a single unit of sound

Grapheme – a written letter, or group of letter that represent a sound.

Consonants – b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z

Vowels – a, e, I, o, u

Blend – to put or merge the sounds together to make a word (e.g. the sounds d-o-g are blended to the word ‘dog’.)

Segment – to break down the word into its individual sounds to spell (e.g cat can be split into the sounds c-a-t.).

Sound talk – a method of segmenting words, saying each sound on a finger (starting with the thumb) and putting it on your chin, as you say it.

We follow the ‘Twinkl’ phonics programme and click below to see a long term overview.

Spelling

In Key Stage 2, we use the HFL Essentials Spelling program, a whole-class approach that equips children with key spelling patterns, strategies, and knowledge aligned to the National Curriculum for each year group. Lessons are carefully sequenced to ensure pupils revisit prior learning while also being introduced to new spelling concepts. Each session places emphasis on phonology, morphology, and etymology, helping children build a deeper understanding of how words are formed and spelled.

Every child takes part in two 20‑minute spelling lessons each week. In addition, they engage in linked activities throughout the school day and are regularly encouraged to apply and extend their spelling skills within writing lessons.