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    • User Guide (3 term year)
    • Primer Assessment
    • Sassoon assessment
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    • Spelling Lists

Phonic Progression - At a Glance

The sequence is the order that sounds and letters are introduced and moves from the simple to more complex. Lessons support children as they apply their growing knowledge to decode a meaningful text. Phase 1 is taught over the space of a year.  All the other phases are taught for 6 weeks (if you have 6 half terms per year) or 10 weeks (if you have 4 terms per year).

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Phase 1

Phase One paves the way for the systematic teaching of phonic work, by developing speaking, listening and language skills through adult-led activities and high-quality play. Phase One activities are designed to underpin and run alongside activities in other phases. 

Guidance

Phase 2 Progression

Start your phonics journey by learning the first 19 letter sounds and apply this knowledge to read and write cvc words:


s /s/, a /a/, t /t/, p /p/, i /i/, n /n/, m /m/, d /d/, g /g/, o /o/, c /k/, k /k/, ck /k/, e /e/, u /u/, r /r/, h /h/, b /b/, f /f/, ff /f/, l /l/ ll /l/, ss /s/

Lessons 1 - 23

Phase 3a Progression

The purpose of this phase is to teach the remaining 6 sounds of the alphabet and consonant digraphs and apply this knowledge to read and write cvc words:


j /j/, v /v/, w /w/, x /k-s/, y /y/, z /z/, zz /z/, qu /k-w/, sh /sh/

ch /ch/, th  /voiced & unvoiced/, ng /ng/

Phase 3b Progression

The purpose of this phase is to teach 15 long vowel and 'r' controlled digraphs and apply this knowledge in reading and writing cvc words:


ai /ai/, ee /ee/, igh /igh/, oa /oa/, oi /oi/, oo /o-o/, oo /oo/, ow /ow/, ar /ar/, air /air/, ear /ear/, ur /ur/, or /or/, ure /ure/,

er /schwa/ 

Phase 4a cvcc - cccvcc words

The purpose of this phase is to consolidate children’s knowledge of graphemes in reading and spelling words containing adjacent consonants and polysyllabic words. The teaching materials in this phase provide a selection of suitable words containing adjacent consonants.

Phase 4b - word endings

The purpose of this phase is to consolidate children’s knowledge of graphemes iThe purpose of this phase is to teach common word endings including suffixes:


-ing, -est, -er, -ed, -tch, -y, -ey, -ve, -le

Phase 5a - alternative spellings

The purpose of this phase is to learn the following alternative spellings of letter/sounds previously:


ou /ow/, ea /ee/, ay /ai/, ie /igh/, ue /oo/, ue /yoo/, oy /oi/, aw /or/, ir /ur/, wh /w/, ph /f/, au /or/, ew /o-o/, ew /yoo/, oe /oa/,

a-e /ai/, e-e /ee/, i-e /igh/, o-e /oa/, u-e /o-o/, u-e /yoo/, si /zh/ 

su /zh/

Phase 5b - alternative pronunciations

Children will learn  alternative pronunciations for:


c /s/, g /j/, ch /sh/, ch /k/, y /igh/,  i /igh/, a /ar/, o /oa/, u /yoo/ea /e/, ie /ee/, er /ur/, ow /oa/, ou /oo/, y /i/, a /ai/, a /o/, e /ee/, u /oo/, ey /ai/, ou /oa/

Phase 5c - alternative spellings

The purpose of this phase is to learn the following spellings for the letter/sounds:


el, al, il /l/, mn, mb /m/, se, ce /s/, se, ze /z/, ti, ci, ssi /sh/, t(ure) /ch/, n(k) /ng/, ge /zh/, -dge, -ge /j/, wr /r, gn, kn /n/, oul /oo/

Phase 5d - alternative spellings

The purpose of this phase is to learn the following spellings for the letter/sounds:


are, ear /air/, al /ar/, eer, ere /ear/, ore /or/, or, ear /ur/, ea, eigh, aigh /ai/, o-e, ou /u/, ere /air/, st, sc /s/, oar, oor, al, a, our, augh /or/

Phase 6a - Revisit alternative vowel spellings

/ai/, /ee/, /igh/, /oa/, /oo/, /yoo/, /oi/, /ow/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /oo/, /ar/, /or/, /ur/, /air/, /ear/ 

Phase 6b - Revisit alternative consonant spellings

f, ff, ph /f/, h, wh /h/, g, ge, dge /j/, k, c, ck, ch /k/, l, ll, le, el, al, il /l/, n, gn, kn /n/, r, wr, rh /r/, s, ss, c, se, ce, st, sc /s/, v, ve, f /v/, w, wh /w/ , z, zz, se, ze /z/, ch, tch, t(ure) /ch/, sh, ch, ti, ci, ssi /sh/ 

voiced / unvoiced /th/, ng, n(k) /ng/, si, su, ge /zh/ 

Phase 6c - suffixes

  • -s, -es - cats, stops, parks, catches, dishes, marries, bunnies
  • -ing to form continuous verbs - smiling, caring, rubbing
  • -ed to form past tense verbs - smiled, cared, rubbed
  • -er to form nouns - smiler, carer, rubber
  • -er to form adjectives - wiser, bigger, happier
  • -est to form adjectives - wisest, biggest, happiest

Phase 6d - suffixes

  • -s and -es: added to nouns and verbs
  • -ed and -ing: added to verbs
  • -ful: added to nouns
  • -er: added to verbs and adjectives
  • -est: added to adjectives
  • -ly: added to adjectives to form adverbs
  • -ment: added to verbs to form nouns
  • -ness: added to adjectives to form nouns
  • -y: added to nouns to form adjectives

Phase 6e - suffixes

  • prefix: un-,  dis-
  • -ment to form nouns - development, enjoyment
  • -ness to form nouns - darkness, happiness
  • Spelling strategies 
  • Apostrophes
  • Homophones

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