Phonics and Early Reading
At our school, we are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent reader. We use Bug Club Phonics, a fully systematic and validated synthetic phonics programme, from Reception through to the end of Key Stage 1
Phonics in Reception
Children begin learning phonics as soon as they enter Reception. Teaching is daily, structured and progressive.
Children work through Phase 2 and Phase 3 for most of the year, building secure foundations in early reading. In the Summer Term, children begin to explore Phase 4, where appropriate and when they are ready.
During these phases, children learn to:
- Recognise and say letter sounds (phonemes)
- Blend sounds to read words
- Segment words to support spelling
- Read tricky words
- Learn digraphs (2 letters making one sound) and trigraphs (3 letters making one sound)
Phonics in Year 1
In Year 1, children build on their Reception learning by focusing primarily on:
- Phase 5a and 5b
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This includes learning alternative spellings for sounds and alternative pronunciations for graphemes. This prepares pupils for the Phonics Screening Check, which takes place nationally in June.
Phonics in Year 2
At the beginning of Year 2, children learn Phase 6, which focuses on spelling rules, suffixes and developing greater automaticity in reading and spelling.
Once children are secure in Phase 6, they move on to Spelling Shed to further develop their spelling knowledge and application.
For children who are not yet secure in phonics, teaching continues using Bug Club Phonics, ensuring that every child is supported to become a confident and fluent reader.
Guided and Whole Class Reading
Alongside daily phonics teaching, children take part in structured reading sessions.
In Year 1, children participate in guided reading using Bug Club decodable books that are carefully matched to their phonics phase. These sessions focus on:
- Accurate decoding
- Developing fluency
- Building comprehension through structured questioning
Most children begin whole class reading at the beginning of Year 2. If a child is not yet ready, they continue with guided reading using decodable books until they are secure enough to access whole class texts with confidence.
This ensures that children move on to whole class reading when they are ready, while maintaining strong decoding skills and comprehension.
Reading Books and Home Learning
We use Bug Club decodable reading books, carefully matched to the phonics phase each child is learning. These books allow children to practise reading using the sounds they have been taught, building accuracy and fluency.
Children also use the Bug Club online platform to:
- Access assigned eBooks
- Complete comprehension questions
- Play fun and interactive games matched to their phonics lessons
We work in partnership with parents to ensure children practise reading regularly at home, helping them develop confidence, fluency and a love of reading.
Reception also have a dedicated phonics section on their class page.
Please enjoy exploring the information below.
If you have any questions please drop me an email at carr.s@welearn365.com.
Sarah Carr
Key Stage 1 lead
Phonics Lead
Year 1 Teacher
Below are all of the bug club sound mats, which show all of the initial sounds, digraphs and trigraphs children learn to read in phonics. There are pictures and actions to go along with each GPC. Children also use these sound mats when writing to support their learning.
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Actions for Sounds Video Phase 5(b)
Phonics Screening Check Information for Parents