Thread by @MorgsEd

I promised some threads on the best phonics provision I have seen from the phonics audits I conduct in schools.

This first thread will cover teaching with fidelity to your SSP programme.

Read time: 5 mins

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I will talk about the best practice I have observed.

Note: this does not mean that it cannot be done in alternative ways. Of course it can!

I am just highlighting what I have seen that works well. Let’s begin.

1.Sufficient time is given to teaching phonics, reading and writing

Phonics may start with sessions as short as 10 minutes when pupils first join in reception, but this should build up to around an hour by the end of the year across different activities (Reading Framework).

Phonics, reading and writing develop one another.

Sufficient time means not just in EYFS/KS1, but across the whole school, daily.

If a child in Y4 is getting phonics support, are they getting sufficient time?

Some schools monitor this is by checking timetables for lessons and interventions – and then checking to see if this amount actually happens.

Follow a child for a day – how much phonics, reading and writing do they do?

The best schools don’t just assume it happens as planned.

There are many ways of teaching the 3 things outside explicit lessons.

For example, here’s some I regularly witness that supplement the teaching of reading:

- Daily story time
- Volunteer readers (e.g. parents)
- Older pupils reading with younger pupils
- Assemblies

2. All staff teach your chosen SSP programme confidently.

These means all staff need to be appropriately trained in your chosen programme.

When the best schools have staff absence, anyone else who is trained step ins and teach. They make phonics a priority.

If a member of staff joins halfway through the year, training them in your programme should be a *priority*.

This has been made increasingly easy with many programmes now having training videos.

As a rule of thumb, staff should only be teaching phonics *if* they are trained.

Many schools I visit *have not* trained their KS2 staff.

I always pose the same questions:

- what if your Year 5 teacher is put in Year 1 next year?
- how do KS2 staff support a child who joins with little-to-no English?

- Can all staff explain how to teach early reading?
- How are you prioritising the teaching of reading if not all staff know how to teach it?
- Are all teachers experts in teaching early reading?
- How do you close any GPC knowledge gaps in KS2 if teachers are not trained?

However, training alone is not sufficient.

Leaders need to monitor teaching to ensure that what staff have learnt on training is implemented properly.

The best schools do not take training for granted. They ensure it is enacted in daily practice.

In one school, a phonics lead had their leader time at the same time a teacher had PPA.

As a result, the lead had never observed their colleague teaching phonics, even though they taught it daily.

Vary monitoring time so you can monitor and observe *all* staff and release staff so they can see different days of the week/parts of the teaching cycle.

When monitoring, you may notice that a staff member may need support.

Consider the use of coaching, whereby you model best practice to them. This, of course, should be done with sensitivity.

If possible, let them observe others teaching.

If your SSP programme suggests it, practice sessions can support staff to develop their skills in a ‘risk free’ environment – i.e. they are not practising on the children.

3. There are clear term-by-term expectations of progress from Reception to Y2 and pace is maintained

Your chosen programme should provide a clear sequence that lays out how will pupils progress.

You may have to adapt this to support your pupils.

Speak to your SSP provider if you require support.

Does your SSP provide support for teaching children for whom reading may be more challenging/SEND or is this an extra spend?

If you need to purchase them, do you have them?

Do you have review sessions planned in?

Some programmes do it daily and others weekly.

Assessment/review are key to maintaining the necessary pace leading up to the PSC.

When you identify a gap in the GPC knowledge or skills, address these ASAP using your SSP's interventions.

Consistency in how phonics is taught across classes will also help to maintain pace – this shows the importance of regular monitoring and staff understanding how to deliver the SSP.

Ongoing CPD is important for this consistency.

Interventions help all pupils to maintain pace.

4. Pupils’ letter-sound knowledge and word reading is assessed every term/half term.

Consider which GPCs are being assessed – do they all match the ones taught?

If your SSP provides you with a specific monitoring system, use it.

Who assesses?

Teacher? Teaching assistant?

Whomever conducts the assessment needs to be confident in the GPCs, the chosen programme etc.

When is it assessed?

At the bare minimum, it should be assessed every term.

However, a lot of schools I visit assess every half-term.

*Follow the assessment cycle of your SSP*

How is it assessed?

Some schools use old PSCs to assess alongside their scheme.

Your chosen programme will have assessments you can use that relate to where the child is in their current stage of learning.

As ever, the most important thing about assessment is how it informs future teaching - and putting that into practice quickly.

i.e. organisation of pupil groups, subsequent interventions, who teachers focus questioning on during instruction…

5. The SSP programme is continued for pupils until they read fluently

This isn’t just for Y2 pupils post-PSC; it refers to all pupils who cannot yet read fluently.

What plan is in place for the pupils who do not pass the PSC?

What is provision in KS2 like?

Do you have many kids joining mid-year?

If any who have come with no English, what has the provision been?

Does the school let the phonics lead know when a new child joins?

6. Parents are informed of what is taught and how they could provide extra practice to develop fluency; how the school will provide extra practice to prevent serious problems developing.

Do you have meetings with parents? What is parental engagement like?

Some send home a newsletter/video with sounds learnt this week or for next week.

Some send videos on their school website; they also signpost info for parents on their SSP programme’s website.

The best schools track who is accessing this info and target those who are not.

Many schools have a meeting early on in the year for Reception parents.

The best schools have it for all parents who have children learning phonics – including KS2 pupils.

During these meetings, some take the opportunity to model the teaching of phonics that happens in school.

Some model how parents should read with their child at home.

Some schools invite parents in to observe phonics lessons.

Some schools show parents why a book needs to be read three times – e.g. 1st to decode, 2nd to build fluent decoding skills, 3rd to support prosody, using expression and intonation.

Comprehension is hard and whilst some chn may be able to answer questions about the text as they rehearse their decoding/blending, others may not yet be able to.

If chn can't yet talk about what they are reading, an adult can support by talking through the book with them.

Most schools tell me that parents always ask why their child is reading a book multiple times when they can already read it.

All of the practice mentioned above helps to tackle that issue.

That is the end of the first thread.

This thread includes pearls of wisdom from @Tara_Dodson_ - make sure to give her a follow.

@Tara_Dodson_ If you are a school in one of these areas, I can come and conduct an audit for FREE.

You could be eligible for government funding for books and training.

First thread on phonics @etaknipsa @TomJacksonPE @A_R_zanetti @SGIDandfac @teacharama @WallPlaitedpony @MrsCornellY6 @jojolarrieu @TheSpilster @nylesojj @Misscookisawes3 @JaneAnneGardin2 @colettekelly79 @stef_boca @bhattay_m @AnnSav62 @ged10 @AllfordBev @Teachyface @jly72

First thread on phonics @MrsHRCrowther @LuckyJim1980 @L_Mitch23 @HaleDonal @emmabarker @jaime_hounsell @ellsteach @kazmann1 @NatashaMrsSmith @C0mm0nSen53 @luqmanmichel