Phonics
At OGPS, we use a synthetic phonics programme to teach reading called 'Rocket Phonics' produced by Rising Stars. The programme:
- Is planned and delivered at a steady pace and progression of two letter-sounds per week (rather than the usual four) so that knowledge and skills are embedded from the start
- Follows a whole-class mastery style teaching to ensure no child is left behind
- Is taught through original illustrated stories to develop phonics skills and a love of reading
- Allows consistent daily practice of reading and writing to gradually build children’s confidence
How it works
The children are assessed at the beginning of reception and when they arrive to determine their prior knowledge. This informs teacher's planning. At the end of each half term the children will be assessed again to check the progress they have made.
Children are taught phonics daily in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 for 30mins a day. Children who need to catch up have additional sessions throughout the week. Initially, we teach the knowledge of the alphabetic code, 150+ graphemes that represent 44 speech sounds. The skill of blending and segmenting enables children to read and apply their knowledge to their writing.
Sessions consist of revisiting previously taught sounds, taught a new sound (twice a week) with practising by applying the new sounds through reading and writing.
Colour Bands & Sounds
Children will be given a book to read at home that matches their phonetic knowledge. The books and sounds are all colour coded as below:
Please see video links below to support with the pronunciation of sounds.