Learning to read at St Nicolas School

What is phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write. It helps children hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another in the English language. Teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together helps them decode unfamiliar or unknown words by sounding them out. 

Rocket Phonics Parent Guide

• rocket-phonics-parent-guide.pdf

How you can support your child at home

Children will be provided with sound mats and word walls to help them practise new sounds and irregular high frequency words learnt at school.  You can support your child in developing their reading skills by:

• Reading their weekly book in their bookbags several times in order to develop fluency and confidence.
• Read the books allocated to your children by accessing the online rocket phonics platform.  These books will contain the most recent sounds the children are learning in school.  Some children will be able to read these books independently whilst others will need to read this book together or even for it to be read to them.
• Finding lots of opportunity for children to read for pleasure and to be read to.  This can be done through sharing books from the class book corners, borrowing books from the library or reading books from home.

Rocket Phonics | The English Alphabetic Code | A guide for parents, carers and families

This short video for parents, carers and families explains what the English alphabetic code is and how we teach it through the Rocket Phonics SSP programme. )

• Rocket Phonics Online Parent’s and Pupil’s Guide Rocket Phonics Online is a phonics teaching and learning programme that includes a wide range of reading practice books in digital format.

Reception Sounds

• flashcardsset1-1.pdf

Year 1 sounds

• flashcardsset2.pdf

Please click on the link below to access our school policy page.

• School Policies