Brockmoor Primary School: Phonics Curriculum

A Structured, Systematic Approach to Early Reading Success

At Brockmoor Primary School, we know that phonics is the foundation of reading and writing. A strong, research-based phonics curriculum ensures that every child develops the skills needed to become a fluent, confident, and independent reader.

We follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme, a systematic synthetic phonics scheme that provides:

🔡 A clear and progressive structure – Systematically teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs).
📖 Daily high-quality phonics instruction – Ensuring all children master early reading skills.
📝 Consistent, research-informed teaching strategies – Embedding direct instruction, modelling, and repeated practice.
📊 Rigorous assessment and intervention – Identifying and supporting pupils who need additional help.
📚 Decodable books matched to phonics knowledge – Developing fluency and confidence through structured reading practice.

Our ambition is that every child leaves Key Stage 1 as a confident, fluent reader, ready to access the full breadth of the curriculum.

As part of our commitment to phonics excellence, we are working towards achieving the Phonics Quality Mark, ensuring that our teaching, assessment, and intervention strategies are of the highest standard.

The Principles of Effective Phonics Instruction

Phonics is the most effective way to teach early reading. Our approach is grounded in the Five Pillars of Phonics Success:

✅ 1. Systematic, Synthetic Approach – Explicitly teaching letter-sound correspondences, blending, and segmenting.
✅ 2. Daily Phonics Sessions – Ensuring children develop fluency through consistent, high-quality instruction.
✅ 3. Rapid and Precise Intervention – Identifying and supporting pupils who need additional practice.
✅ 4. Decodable Books Aligned to Learning – Embedding phonics through carefully matched reading books.
✅ 5. Building Reading Fluency and Prosody – Teaching children to read with accuracy, pace, and expression.

By ensuring a structured, rigorous approach, we guarantee that all children develop the confidence and skills to become fluent readers.

How Phonics is Taught at Brockmoor

We follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme, which is based on the latest research in reading science.

Daily Phonics Sessions

🕒 50-minute structured phonics sessions every day.
🔤 New GPCs and tricky words introduced in a systematic sequence.
👂 Oral blending and segmenting practised in every lesson.
📚 Decodable books linked to phonics progression, ensuring children apply their learning.

Lesson Structure: The Read Write Inc. Phonics Routine

Every Read Write Inc. phonics session follows a structured sequence:

1️⃣ Revisit & Review – Consolidating previously taught sounds.
2️⃣ Teach – Introducing a new phoneme or tricky word.
3️⃣ Practise – Applying new knowledge through blending, segmenting, and reading activities.
4️⃣ Apply – Reading and writing words containing the target phoneme.
5️⃣ Assess – Checking understanding to inform next steps.

This structured approach ensures consistent, effective phonics teaching in every lesson.

Phonics Progression: A Structured Journey to Reading Success

The Read Write Inc. progression ensures that phonics is taught in a systematic, cumulative way:

EYFS (Reception)

✅ Autumn 1 – Teaching single-letter sounds (s, a, t, p, i, n, etc.) and blending for reading.
✅ Autumn 2 – Spring 1 – Introducing digraphs and trigraphs (ch, sh, th, ai, igh, etc.).
✅ Spring 2 – Summer – Consolidating known GPCs and teaching adjacent consonants (e.g., CVCC and CCVC words).

Key Stage 1 (Year 1 & 2)

✅ Year 1 – Learning alternative spellings and pronunciations (e.g., ai/ay/a-e).
✅ Year 2 – Developing spelling rules, suffixes, and fluency in reading and writing.

This structured approach ensures that children master phonics systematically, moving from simple to more complex GPCs.

Early Reading: Matching Books to Phonics Knowledge

📚 Decodable Books – Pupils read books that only contain GPCs they have been taught, ensuring success.
🔄 Re-reading for Fluency – Pupils read the same book multiple times to build accuracy, automaticity, and expression.
👂 Prosodic Reading – Teaching children intonation, rhythm, and expression when reading aloud.

This structured approach ensures that pupils read with confidence, rather than guessing at words.

Assessment and Intervention: Ensuring No Child is Left Behind

📊 Daily Informal Assessment – Teachers assess progress every day, ensuring immediate intervention where needed.
📍 Half-Termly Phonics Assessments – Identifying pupils who need extra support to stay on track.
📝 Year 1 Phonics Screening Check – Ensuring all children meet national expectations.

Rapid Phonics Interventions

🔹 Keep Up, Not Catch Up – Immediate, targeted daily intervention for any child who falls behind.
🔹 Read Write Inc. Catch-Up Programme – Structured interventions to close gaps quickly.
🔹 Pre-teaching and Overlearning – Reinforcing phonics through daily repetition and additional practice.

We are committed to ensuring all children keep pace with the phonics programme, preventing reading difficulties from developing.

Phonics and Writing: The Link Between Reading and Spelling

Strong phonics knowledge supports early writing development. We explicitly teach:

📝 Segmenting for Spelling – Teaching children to break words into phonemes for accurate spelling.
🔤 Common Exception Words – Embedding tricky words that cannot be phonetically decoded.
📖 Dictation Activities – Reinforcing phonics knowledge through structured writing exercises.
✍️ Cursive Handwriting – Developing fluency in writing alongside phonics instruction.

By ensuring a strong link between reading and writing, we help children become confident, independent writers.

The Impact: What Our Phonics Curriculum Achieves

By the time pupils leave Brockmoor Primary, they are:

🎓 Fluent, confident readers – Equipped with the skills to read independently.
📖 Secure in phonics knowledge – Able to decode words effortlessly and read for meaning.
📝 Accurate spellers – Applying phonics knowledge to their writing.
🔊 Expressive, prosodic readers – Reading with fluency, confidence, and comprehension.
🚀 Ready for the next stage of learning – Fully prepared to access a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Beyond Phonics: Developing a Lifelong Love of Reading

Phonics is the foundation of reading, but we also develop:

📚 A rich reading culture – Daily storytime, book corners, and access to high-quality texts.
📖 Early comprehension skills – Teaching children to understand, discuss, and respond to texts.
🌍 A broad and diverse literature spine – Ensuring pupils experience books that reflect and expand their world.

We ensure that phonics is the first step in a lifelong journey of reading, learning, and discovery.

Further Information

For more details, including:
📌 Read Write Inc. Progression Maps
📌 Phonics Workshop for Parents
📌 Home Reading and Phonics Support

Please contact our Curriculum Lead, Tom Amphlett, at info@brockmoor.dudley.sch.uk. 🚀