Early Reading and Phonics

Phonics

At Oxley, we want every child to develop the skills, confidence and enjoyment they need to become a successful reader and writer. We teach early reading through systematic synthetic phonics, using Floppy’s Phonics – a structured and engaging programme that helps children build their reading and writing skills from the very beginning.

Learning to read is one of the most important skills children develop during their early years at Oxley. We know that children make the strongest progress when school and home work together, so we encourage families to support phonics and reading regularly at home.

Children are taught phonics from EYFS through to Year 2, with teaching carefully matched to their stage of learning. Regular assessment enables staff to identify any gaps and provide additional support where needed. From Year 3 onwards, targeted phonics intervention continues for children who require further support with decoding and reading fluency, alongside appropriate reading and comprehension interventions.

Spelling

From Year 2, children also develop their spelling knowledge using the No Nonsense Spelling programme. Through a range of teacher-led activities, children explore spelling patterns, rules and strategies and learn to apply these accurately within their independent writing.

Spelling is revisited and reinforced regularly, including through home learning, to help children retain and apply what they have learned. Children’s progress is monitored throughout the year to ensure teaching and additional support are carefully matched to their needs.

Together, our phonics, reading and spelling provision helps children build strong foundations for becoming confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers and writers.

Reading

At Oxley, reading is at the heart of everything we do. We want every child to become a confident, fluent reader who not only has the skills they need to succeed, but also develops a genuine love of reading.

Reading is taught explicitly through dedicated reading lessons and is also woven throughout our Novel Study approach in English and across the wider curriculum. Children develop their reading skills through a range of approaches, including VIPERS, daily phonics, whole-class reading, targeted interventions and regular opportunities to read with teachers and support staff.

We provide children with lots of opportunities to practise and apply their reading skills throughout school life. We also use visual literacy, film, poetry and song lyrics to explore language, develop comprehension and inspire curiosity and excitement about reading.

Reading Books

In the early stages of reading, children use Floppy’s Phonics books which are carefully matched to the sounds they are learning in their phonics lessons. This gives children the opportunity to practise and consolidate their phonics knowledge both at school and at home, while also developing their understanding of what they read.

As children progress through school, they follow our Oxley Book Banding system, from EYFS through to Year 6. This ensures that children read books which provide an appropriate level of challenge and support them in developing fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

Alongside their reading books, children have access to our school library and can choose Reading for Pleasure books to take home. These books give children the freedom to explore different authors, genres and interests and help us nurture a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

Reading at Home

Although your child will be taught the skills of reading at school, reading regularly at home makes an enormous difference. Sharing books, talking about stories and encouraging children to read frequently all help to build confidence, fluency and a positive relationship with reading.

In the early stages of reading, your child may bring home two different types of book:

Reading practice book – This is carefully matched to your child’s current phonics knowledge. Your child should be able to read this with increasing fluency and independence, giving them an opportunity to practise and celebrate what they have learned.

Sharing book – This is a book chosen for enjoyment and may contain words that your child cannot yet read independently. It is designed to be enjoyed together. You can read it aloud, talk about the story and pictures, explore new vocabulary and simply enjoy sharing a great book.

By working together, we can help every Oxley child develop the skills, confidence and enthusiasm to become a reader for life.