Reading

At St Edward’s Academy we place high importance on reading and having the support from home makes your child’s learning journey even more significant. Please encourage children to read as often as possible at home using the online Boom Reader app.

Children begin reading phonic books matched to their needs until they have passed the Phonic Screen which takes place in the Summer Term of Year 1. The children then move on to  books that develop their comprehension, fluency, stamina and enjoyment.

 

 

Phonics

Our classes follow the Systematic Synthetic Phonics scheme ‘Essential Letters and Sounds’ (ELS). The teaching of Phase 2,3,4 and most of 5 are taught in Reception and Phase 5 and ‘beyond’ are taught in Year 1.

This scheme teaches four new sounds a week and has a fifth day dedicated to revisit and review, and applying reading skills by reading decodable books in class. There is a big focus on: say the word, stretch the word, segment the word, blend the word, count the sounds in the word and say the whole word.

 

 

We are confident that this scheme will build all the necessary skills for reading and writing that the children will need.

ELS Parent Presentation

ELS Information for Parents

Year 1 Phonic Screen information for parents

For resources and games to support phonics, have a look at

Phase 2 and 3 flashcards

Phase 5 flashcards

YouTube clip of correct pronunciation of pure sounds

Phonics Play

 

 

 

 

 

Spellings

Year 1 High Frequency Spelling Words

Year 2 High Frequency Spelling Words

Children in Year 1 and 2 need to be able to read and spell their common exception words.  Please note it is important that children are secure with the Reception words before they move on. It is a good idea to use look, cover, write, check to practise spellings.

Handwriting

In school the style of handwriting is first taught through our phonics scheme Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) by following the rhymes to help with the letter formation. Print is then continued in Year 1, ensuring that all letters are formed correctly.  In Year 2, the children start to learn their joins. The aim is for most of the children to be writing in a fully cursive style as they enter Year 3.

For resources to help with handwriting go to teachhandwriting.co.uk

 

 

We are proud to be a part of SUA Trust

Join the Trust

SUAT supports and leads in the set-up of new academies joining the partnership. The services provided by the central support function cover both educational and non-educational support. In terms of educational support, SUAT is linked to the School of Education of Staffordshire University, which is an outstanding ITT provider.