Phonics and Spelling
Phonics Curriculum
At Marsh Hill, we use Our systematic phonics programme in line with the ‘Letters and Sounds’ approach which has been amended to meet and exceed the expectations of the National Curriculum and the needs of our children.
All planning is systematic and progressive and is in line with the school’s term-by –term phonics long-term plan. Phonics is taught by highly skilled practitioners. Resources, terminology and phrases used to facilitate the teaching of phonics is uniform across the school; we do not mix phonics schemes or resources in our school.
Phonics teaching is prioritised; it is taught discreetly for 25 minutes every morning. Children are taught in ability groups, across their year group. Groups are determined through rigorous assessment so that the teaching of phonics is matched to the children’s current level of skill and phonemic awareness.
Each session follows the same systematic structure of:
- Revisit (previous sounds and common exception words taught),
- Teach (new sound and Common Exception Words)
- Practise
- Apply new sounds and words taught in word/sentence reading and writing.
The sounds and words taught are divided into 3 progressive stages and the expectations of coverage are:
- Phase 2, 3 and 4: Taught in Reception
- Phase 5: Taught throughout Year One
- Phase 6: Year 2. Once children have a good command of phonic knowledge and use this competently to blend and segment, children move onto learning the rules of spelling following the Purple Mash Spelling Programme.
Please see Appendix 1: Phonics Long Term Plan to see the progression of sounds and words taught at each stage.
Spelling Curriculum
We are dedicated to providing a comprehensive and progressive spelling scheme that supports each child through their primary education journey. Our curriculum is designed to build strong foundational skills in phonics, which are crucial for reading, writing, and spelling proficiency. By integrating these skills across all key stages, with a particular focus on KS2, we ensure that our pupils are well-prepared for their educational progression.
At Marsh Hill Primary, we utilise the acclaimed Purple Mash program to enrich our teaching methods. Purple Mash integrates seamlessly as our spelling scheme, offering interactive and engaging activities that make learning fun and effective for KS2 pupils. This digital platform not only enhances our teaching capabilities but also allows parents to be actively involved in their child's learning process. With Purple Mash, children can continue their learning at home, reinforcing the skills they have acquired at school through accessible online resources.
We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is key to the success of our pupils. As part of our commitment to this partnership, we provide regular updates and insights into your child's progress and achievements in phonics and spelling. We encourage parents to utilize the resources provided through Purple Mash at home, as it complements the learning taking place in the classroom and supports overall child development. Together, we can achieve remarkable outcomes for all our students, ensuring they have the literacy skills needed to succeed in their ongoing educational journeys.
