Phonics and Reading
At The Royal Kent School we teach phonics using the DfE validated 'Twinkl Phonics' programme. This is a synthetic phonics scheme, which helps children to acquire the phonics skills that they need to be able to access a text. It teaches children about segmenting and blending words, letter formation, spelling and gives them the ability to read longer texts.
As children move through the early stages of acquiring phonics skills, they practise by reading texts which are entirely decodable for them (only containing sounds and words that they have already learnt). The children will read from a range of different reading schemes, including ‘Twinkl Rhino Readers', 'Jelly and Bean', 'Bug Club Phonics', 'Collins Big Cat' and 'Songbird Phonics'. Our English subject leader Miss Webber individually sorts each book into phases and sets which correspond to what the children have learnt through Twinkl Phonics.
Once children have a secure knowledge of letter/sound correspondences, can blend words confidently and have successfully completed reading the phonetically decodable books from Phase 1-6, they will become a ‘Rainbow Reader'. This will mean that they will have a colour-banded book to read, these can be selected from a broad range of text types from different authors.
All children are encouraged to select books from the classroom, library or home to share with their parents to encourage a love of reading.
Once children can read fluently and with a good understanding, they self-select books for independent reading from the school library or from home.
Reading walls
Below you will find a reading wall for each year group, which contains a suggested list of reading material suitable for this age group. These lists were created by Miss Webber, and children across the school, in 2019.