Phonics at Kingsway Primary School
Our Approach to Phonics
Phonics is how children learn to read and spell by connecting letters with their sounds. It gives children the building blocks they need to become confident readers and writers. We teach phonics in a clear, structured way so every child has a strong start in reading.
Helping Children Thrive in Phonics
Children take part in daily phonics lessons where they learn new sounds, practise blending sounds to read words, and segment sounds to spell. Lessons are active, engaging and designed to build confidence step by step. As children’s skills grow, reading becomes easier and more enjoyable.
Belonging and Confidence
We create a supportive environment where children feel safe to try, practise and make mistakes. Everyone learns at their own pace, and we celebrate effort as well as success. Extra help is given when needed so every child feels capable and included.
Achieving Success in Early Reading
We regularly check children’s progress to make sure they are developing secure phonics skills. This helps us provide the right level of support and challenge. We also work with families by sharing information and ideas so children can practise at home and continue building their skills.
ELS – Essential Letters and Sounds
Phonics at Kingsway is taught using Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) which is a
DfE validated systematic synthetic phonics programme which ‘gets all children to
read well, quickly’. Following an extensive review of our existing provision, we
adopted ELS in Autumn of 2025 and work closely with Mangotsfield English Hub to
ensure our phonics teaching demonstrates fidelity to a programme, consistency
across the school, clarity for the children and rapid progress for all, particularly those
who may be disadvantaged.