INTENT
At Smallthorne Primary Academy, we believe that reading is the key to unlocking the curriculum and lifelong learning. Phonics is therefore prioritised as the foundation for early reading, enabling children to develop the skills needed to decode words accurately and read with confidence and enjoyment.
Our phonics curriculum is delivered through the Animaphonics synthetic phonics programme, which provides a structured and systematic approach to teaching grapheme–phoneme correspondence (GPC). Through this programme, pupils learn how letters and groups of letters represent sounds and how these sounds can be blended and segmented to support reading and spelling.
Phonics teaching begins in Nursery and continues through Reception and Key Stage 1, ensuring children build secure foundations in decoding, fluency and early spelling.
Our phonics curriculum ensures pupils:
• Develop secure knowledge of grapheme–phoneme correspondences
• Blend sounds confidently to read unfamiliar words
• Segment words accurately for spelling
• Read common exception words automatically
• Develop fluency so that reading becomes effortless and enjoyable
• Build the confidence to access the wider curriculum through reading
Through high-quality phonics teaching, we aim for all children to become fluent readers who develop a lifelong love of reading.
Character & Arts Alignment
Early reading supports the wider aims of the Smallthorne Character & Arts curriculum, enabling pupils to access stories, ideas and knowledge that develop imagination, empathy and confidence.
Phonics contributes to the Character & Arts strands by enabling pupils to:
• Heritage – access stories, poems and texts that reflect local, national and global culture
• History – explore stories and literature from different time periods
• Performing & Expressive Arts – develop confidence through storytelling, rhyme, songs and performance
• Sustainability – understand themes within texts that explore community and responsibility
• Enterprise – develop communication and literacy skills that support future learning and opportunity
Through reading, pupils develop the confidence and curiosity needed to engage fully with the wider curriculum.
IMPLEMENTATION
Our phonics curriculum follows the Animaphonics synthetic phonics programme, which teaches children to decode words by recognising the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and letters or groups of letters (graphemes).
Phonics is taught daily in Reception and Key Stage 1, with additional support provided for pupils who require further practice.
The programme is carefully structured so that grapheme–phoneme correspondences are taught systematically and in a clear sequence, enabling pupils to build knowledge gradually and apply it confidently.
Nursery
In Nursery, children begin developing the listening and sound discrimination skills necessary for phonics through Phase 1 phonics activities.
Children learn through:
• songs, rhymes and rhythm activities
• sound discrimination games
• alliteration and voice sounds
• oral blending and segmenting activities
Children are also introduced to early sound–letter awareness through Animaphonics Early Worms, where grapheme–phoneme correspondences may be introduced through poems, songs, actions and animal mascots to support memory and engagement.
These experiences build the foundations needed for systematic phonics teaching in Reception.
Reception
In Reception, children begin systematic phonics teaching through Animaphonics Phases 2–4 (and Phase 5 where appropriate).
Pupils learn to:
• recognise grapheme–phoneme correspondences for the alphabet and key digraphs
• blend sounds to read words and simple sentences
• segment words into sounds for spelling
• read simple decodable texts with increasing fluency
Regular reading practice helps pupils apply their phonics knowledge in meaningful contexts.
Year 1
In Year 1, pupils extend their phonics knowledge by learning:
• alternative spellings for known phonemes
• how to read and spell words using all taught grapheme–phoneme correspondences
• how to read compound words and two-syllable words
• how to apply suffixes to root words
This learning prepares pupils for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
Practice screening checks are completed during the year so that teachers can identify gaps and provide targeted support where needed.
Year 2
In Year 2, pupils continue developing phonics knowledge by learning:
• further alternative spellings and pronunciations
• contractions and common exception words
• homophones and spelling patterns
• suffixes and more complex word structures
Additional phonics teaching and intervention are provided for any pupils who require further support following the phonics screening check.
Structure of Phonics Lessons
Phonics lessons follow a consistent structure to reinforce learning:
Revise
Quick-paced review of previously taught sounds and words.
Teach
Introduction of a new grapheme–phoneme correspondence through songs, poems, actions and visual mnemonics.
Practise
Children practise reading and spelling words containing the new sound.
Apply
Children apply their knowledge in reading sentences and short texts.
Animaphonics interactive resources and teacher-selected activities support engagement and reinforce learning.
Assessment and Intervention
Assessment is ongoing and informs teaching.
Teachers monitor pupils’:
• knowledge of grapheme–phoneme correspondences
• ability to blend sounds for reading
• ability to segment sounds for spelling
Formal assessments take place at the end of each unit to identify gaps in learning. Where needed, pupils receive short, targeted intervention sessions alongside their daily phonics lessons to support rapid progress.
IMPACT
By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils will:
• read accurately by applying phonics knowledge
• demonstrate confidence when decoding unfamiliar words
• read simple and increasingly complex texts with growing fluency
• spell words using taught grapheme–phoneme correspondences
• read common exception words automatically
Measuring Impact
The effectiveness of the phonics curriculum is evaluated through:
• ongoing teacher assessment of phonics knowledge
• phonics unit assessments
• monitoring of reading fluency and decoding accuracy
• outcomes in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
• targeted support for pupils requiring additional phonics intervention
Through this systematic approach, the large majority of pupils achieve age-related expectations in reading and develop the confidence needed to access the wider curriculum.
Ultimately, phonics teaching at Smallthorne Primary Academy ensures that all pupils are given the strongest possible foundation for reading success.