Phonics at Chapel Hill
Our Vision for Phonics
At Chapel Hill Primary School, we are committed to developing confident, fluent readers and writers through high-quality phonics teaching. We believe that strong early reading skills provide the foundation for future learning and success across the curriculum.
To support this, we use the Sounds-Write programme — a highly structured, systematic synthetic phonics approach that teaches children how the English alphabetic code works. Through engaging, explicit and carefully sequenced teaching, children develop the essential skills needed to become successful readers and accurate spellers.
We recognise that while children naturally learn spoken language, reading and writing must be taught systematically and directly. Our aim is to ensure that every child develops confidence, enjoyment and independence in reading from the very beginning of their learning journey.
Intent
Our phonics curriculum is designed to provide children with the knowledge and skills required to read and spell with accuracy and fluency.
We aim to:
- Develop confident and enthusiastic readers
- Teach children to decode and encode words effectively
- Build strong foundations in speaking, listening, reading and writing
- Support children in becoming fluent, automatic readers
- Foster a love of books, language and reading
Using the Sounds-Write approach, children begin with the sounds of spoken language before learning how letters and combinations of letters represent those sounds in writing.
The programme focuses on three key skills:
Segmenting
Children learn to break words into individual sounds (phonemes) for reading and spelling.
For example:
- cat → /c/ /a/ /t/
This skill helps children identify the sounds within words and represent them accurately when writing.
Blending
Children learn to push sounds together to read words fluently.
For example:
- /b/ /oa/ /t/ → boat
Blending is essential for developing fluent and confident reading.
Phoneme Manipulation
Children learn to change sounds within words to support decoding and spelling.
For example:
- bat → replace /a/ with /i/ → bit
This skill supports problem-solving when reading unfamiliar words and helps children become flexible, fluent readers.
Core Concepts of Sounds-Write
Through the Sounds-Write programme, children develop an understanding that:
- Written English is a code used to represent spoken sounds
- A sound can be represented by one, two, three or four letters
- Many sounds can be spelled in different ways
- Some spellings can represent more than one sound
Children are taught these concepts through explicit, systematic teaching that builds progressively over time.
Learning begins with simple sound-letter correspondences before moving to more complex spelling patterns and alternative spellings within the Extended Code. Teaching is carefully structured to ensure children revisit and consolidate learning regularly.
Implementation
At Chapel Hill, phonics is taught through engaging, interactive and multisensory lessons that support all learners.
Our phonics provision includes:
- Daily phonics teaching using the Sounds-Write programme
- Structured and progressive lessons delivered at a brisk pace
- Explicit teaching of reading and spelling skills
- Opportunities for repetition, practise and consolidation
- Multisensory approaches using speaking, listening, reading and writing together
- Carefully planned progression from simple to more complex spelling patterns
Sounds-Write is a multisensory programme, meaning children learn through:
- Hearing sounds
- Saying sounds aloud
- Seeing spellings and patterns
- Writing and manipulating letters
This helps children make strong connections between spoken and written language while developing automaticity and fluency.
Teachers typically focus on a target phoneme over one to two weeks, exploring a range of words and spelling alternatives to deepen understanding and secure learning.
Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
In Year 1, children complete the national Phonics Screening Check.
This short assessment helps confirm whether children have developed the expected phonic decoding skills. It also identifies pupils who may require additional support to strengthen their reading skills.
Children who do not meet the expected standard receive targeted support and will retake the check in Year 2.
Impact
Our pupils develop into confident, capable and enthusiastic readers who can apply their phonics knowledge effectively across the curriculum.
By the time they progress through Chapel Hill, pupils:
- Read with increasing fluency, accuracy and confidence
- Apply phonics skills independently when reading and spelling
- Develop strong foundations for writing and comprehension
- Demonstrate resilience and problem-solving when decoding unfamiliar words
- Enjoy reading and engage positively with books and language
Through high-quality phonics teaching, we ensure children develop the essential literacy skills needed for future learning and lifelong success.