Posted: Mon 11th Jan 2021
Our reception children thoroughly enjoy their daily phonics lessons within our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) setting.
Our daily phonics teaching is delivered in small groups and encompasses learning sounds and segmenting and blending of words. At Biggin Hill Primary school we offer fun and engaging phonic activities which consist of learning a new sound each day. Jolly Phonic songs are used to embed our learning as well as the use of practical and fun learning activities. Using the Read Write Inc (RWI) scheme to practice our letter formation encourages children to use ‘rhymes’ as they form the grapheme.
Our activities promote early phonic, reading and spelling development. We provide children with many activities to develop their writing skills using both multisensory and practical methods.
Phonic groups are streamed to allow for children to develop deeper understanding and move on with their learning or gain more support where needed. Groups are consistently reviewed by our experienced EYFS teaching staff, allowing children to learn at a pace that suits them. We assess the children using Phonics Tracker each half term and make adjustments to groups accordingly. This also allows us to pick up on any gaps so we can revisit where necessary.
We take every opportunity for children to develop their early phonic, reading and writing skills through other areas of learning, our outdoor learning area and enhancement activities on offer.
The EYFS curriculum allows for children to lead their own learning, self select resources and engage with exciting enhancements on offer. Many of these activities offer opportunities for children to extend their phonic, reading and spelling skills.
I am delighted by how much the children enjoy their daily phonics teaching. Small group teaching of phonics has allowed us to plan and deliver our teaching based on the individual needs of the child and allowed children to learn at a pace that suits them.
Miss Powell
Early Years Foundation Stage Lead, Phonics Lead and Reception Class Teacher Biggin Hill Primary School
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