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Phonics


At St. Robert Southwell School, we have adopted the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) phonics programme, developed in collaboration with Knowledge Schools Trust and literacy experts Tara Dodson and Katie Press. Our primary aim is to equip all children with the foundational literacy skills necessary for their future success. Through a systematic and structured approach to synthetic phonics, pupils learn how sounds correspond to written letters, enabling them to blend these sounds into words—such as recognising that “m-a-t” forms “mat.” ELS is implemented daily in Reception and Year 1, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the sounds essential for confident and competent reading and writing.  For more information please click here

 

 

Through the ELS program, children engage in daily phonics lessons that focus on introducing new sounds and reviewing previously taught sounds. They practise reading these sounds in isolation, within words, phrases and captions. They also practice letter formation by writing the new sound using various methods and mediums, such as tracing it with their finger in the air, drawing it in sand with brushes, or using a pencil on paper, all while saying the corresponding mnemonic aloud. In addition, pupils are introduced to non-decodable words—referred to as “harder to read and spell words”—to enhance their vocabulary and reading fluency. The ELS whole-class teaching approach also encourages a collaborative learning environment, where pupils benefit from peer interactions and collective engagement to boost motivation and confidence.
To reinforce their learning at home, children are given reading books that correspond to the sounds they have already learned in class. This ensures that each child can independently read their book aloud to an adult. We recommend that children read these books at least four times a week to strengthen their decoding skills and improve accuracy, speed, and fluency. According to Kirschner et al. (2006) in their paper, Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work, “if nothing has changed in long-term memory, nothing has been learned.” This emphasises the importance of daily reading and phonics practice to help children retain and internalise their learning for future reading and writing tasks across the curriculum.

As a result of our dedicated phonics teaching and learning, our pupils consistently achieve above the national standard in the Year 1 and 2 phonics checks. The structured approach of the ELS program, combined with whole-class teaching strategies and further opportunities for links to new sounds within other areas of learning, ensures that all children make significant progress in their reading and writing skills. Regular assessments and tailored interventions further support individual learning needs, ensuring that every child is equipped with the tools they need to thrive in their reading and writing journey.

Useful information


ELS - Essential Letters & Sounds Phase 2 ELS - Essential Letters & Sounds Phase 3 ELS - Essential Letters & Sounds Phase 5 ELS Pronunciation - Phase 2 ELS Pronunciation - Phase 3 ELS Pronunciation Phase 5 ELS Graphemes - Phase 2 ELS Graphemes - Phase 3 ELS Graphemes - Phase 5 Reception - harder to read & spell words Year 1 - harder to ready & spell words Yearly Overview