Phonics

At Hunningley Primary Academy, we believe that reading is the key that unlocks all future learning and that every child has the right to become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader. We are relentless in our commitment to ensuring that all children learn to read as quickly and successfully as possible, regardless of their starting point, background or individual needs.

We deliver the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme with fidelity and consistency across the school, ensuring a systematic and structured approach to early reading. We recognise that phonics is everyone's responsibility and that developing confident readers requires a whole-school commitment. Through high-quality teaching, ambitious expectations and carefully targeted support, we ensure every child develops the knowledge, skills and confidence required to become a successful reader.

Our phonics curriculum is designed to be inclusive, equitable and ambitious for all learners. We are particularly committed to ensuring disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils receive the support, intervention and opportunities needed to achieve alongside their peers. Through regular assessment, responsive teaching and precise intervention, we work to remove barriers to reading and ensure that every child can experience success.

Reading opens doors to the wider curriculum and plays a crucial role in developing children's vocabulary, cultural capital and understanding of the world around them. We aim for all pupils to leave the early stages of their education with a love of reading, the ability to read fluently and accurately, and the confidence to access increasingly challenging texts across all areas of learning.

We teach phonics through the Read Write Inc. programme, providing a consistent and systematic approach to reading from Nursery onwards. Children are taught in carefully matched groups and receive twice daily phonics lessons which develop their decoding, fluency, comprehension and spelling skills and demonstrate our commitment that every child becomes a reader.

To ensure every pupil receives teaching precisely matched to their stage of development, children are assessed regularly and regrouped throughout the year. Phonics groups are streamed across Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3, enabling all pupils to receive targeted instruction appropriate to their current needs rather than their age alone.

Our teaching is underpinned by direct instruction, explicit modelling, regular rehearsal and continual checks for understanding. Staff carefully monitor pupils' responses throughout lessons and adapt teaching accordingly to ensure learning is secure.

Children who require further support receive additional one-to-one tutoring and targeted intervention sessions to ensure gaps are addressed quickly and no child falls behind.

Phonics remains a whole-school priority and is embedded within our wider reading culture. Our highly skilled Phonics Lead works closely with staff to maintain exceptionally high standards of teaching and learning. Dedicated phonics coaching takes place during every staff meeting, ensuring phonics remains at the forefront of professional development and providing staff with ongoing opportunities to refine and strengthen their practice. This is further enhanced through regular CPD and instructional coaching.

We recognise the importance of strong home-school partnerships and work closely with parents to support early reading. Families are invited into school to observe live phonics lessons through our Parent Breakfast events, attend phonics workshops and receive direct training on how to support reading development at home which is supplemented by QR codes being sent home which are matched to the child’s correct level of development and gives parents direct access to the Phonics Virtual Classroom. This collaborative approach helps ensure consistency between school and home, maximising children's progress and confidence as readers.

As a result of our rigorous and carefully implemented phonics curriculum, children become confident, fluent and successful readers who are well prepared to access the wider curriculum. They demonstrate secure phonological knowledge, accurate decoding skills and increasing fluency, enabling them to read with confidence and understanding.

Regular assessment, responsive teaching and targeted intervention ensure that children make strong progress from their individual starting points. Disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils achieve highly because barriers to learning are identified early and addressed through timely support and precise teaching.

The impact of our approach is evident in children's growing confidence, enjoyment of reading and ability to apply their phonics knowledge across reading and writing. Pupils develop a rich and expanding vocabulary, enabling them to communicate effectively and engage more deeply with their learning.

Most importantly, children leave our phonics programme as readers. They possess the knowledge, confidence and enthusiasm needed to access increasingly complex texts, develop a lifelong love of reading and achieve future success across the curriculum and beyond.