Presentations and Workshops
Reading Beyond Phonics
Year 6 SATS Information Evening
Phonics Workshop
Introduction to Phonics Webinar - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- You say the last phonics programme was not fit for Why are children still bringing home Twinkl books for reading - the books we've had are all brand new so have these all been brought recently?
It was the teaching scheme for Twinkl that we felt was not fit for purpose by not allowing the phonics to be fully embedded and we felt there was a lack of opportunity to write and practise the phonics. We are happy with the Rhino Readers books, which accompanied the Twinkl scheme and will therefore continue to use the books. We were given a grant by the English Hub to allow us to implement the new scheme which included all the resources.
- How will we know how to help at home apart from reading the books they bring home?
The phonics parent portal has videos to help with pronunciation as well as other guidance such as "Tips for Home Reading" which includes how you can help at home. We will be arranging further webinars on how parents and carers can support learners going forward.
- Is this session being recorded? Will the slides be shared afterwards?
The pre-recorded presentation will be made available on the individual school websites alongside the link the Parent Portal from FFT.
- The shared reader we've had home to read is much easier than his usual book I know you've mentioned this before but can you explain how reading books that may be easier than what they're used to helps?
The programme is designed for consolidation of the phonics and to help improve fluency of reading. The books may ‘appear’ to be too easy for your child but children should be able to read every word accurately in their book with ease. Your child should also be bringing home a ‘read with me’ which allows for your child to be exposed to more difficult language.
- It's hard to know how much of this is relevant to each year A lot seems more relevant to reception. Is there any way you can break some of this down to specific year?
The purpose of this webinar was to introduce parents and carers to the new phonics programme and provide an overview of what this looks like in our school. Should you require further guidance on how phonics is being taught in each year group please discuss this with the class teacher.
- As this is a very new programme are you confident all staff know how to deliver it effectively? We are confident that all staff know how to deliver the programme Staff have undergone training before they have able to deliver the programme. We are also supported regularly by the English Hub who visit and support us with training and who also ensure that we are delivering the programme correctly.
- Has this session been recorded?
The webinar wasn’t recorded; however, we will share the video of the presentation on the individual school websites.
- Do you group by ability?
No, we don't group by ability but the ongoing assessments allow us to see each individual need so that we can give individual intervention where required.
- Have you completed baseline assessments provided by FFT in order to indicate individual starting points?
Yes, part of the programme is baseline testing and these have been completed to show us the areas of strength and weakness for each child. Further assessment will be carried in line with the requirements of the programme and our own assessment cycle.
- Will you start children at the highest starting point?
Children will start at the recommended starting point for the year group. Any child working below that will have intervention.
- Will access to the online portal be provided to parents?
This information has already been sent to Reception and Year 1 parents but we will extend to other year groups. The link to the parent portal will be provided on the individual school websites.
- FFT claims to be How do the books sent home with FFT sit with where children were previously reading? I have seen a big gap with my daughter.
Each child undergoes a baseline assessment which identifies areas to target. As such, the teaching and learning matches these areas. As children undergo further assessment this will identify areas of progress and as such the shared reader that goes home with the children will match with year group expectations. In addition to the shared reader, the children will be sent home with a ‘read to me’ text which will expose children to more challenging and genre specific vocabulary.