This academic year sees the introduction of the exciting ‘Sounds-Write’ literacy programme of teaching phonics in Byron House (Reception to Year 4), after a full year of rigorous research carried out by the Pre-Prep academic teaching leads. After taking a deep dive in current studies, talking to literacy professionals and visiting other schools, the decision was made to choose the Sounds-Write system due to its strong evidence-based foundations.
A longitudinal study across the UK of 1,607 children in 24 schools showed that ‘91% of the children moved to Key Stage 2 with basic literacy skills at an age-appropriate level or above’ (Case Studies).
Sounds-Write is an expertly structured synthetic phonics programme based on the science of reading. This multisensory, code-oriented, comprehensive approach to literacy has been designed by teachers—for teachers.
Teaching staff at Byron House felt that a phonics teaching method that championed the joy and discovery of language would be a good fit for St John's, promoting a love of reading at an early age.
The Sounds-Write system was implemented in September of this year within dedicated Phonics lessons throughout the week across the first 5 years of the School. In Kindergarten (Reception) it has been paired with Kinetic Letters, ‘an evidence-informed programme that builds the cognitive and physical skills for handwriting’. Children are taught 5 positions: lion, bear, lizard and penguin, which build core strength so the child’s attention can be on the content of the work rather than the process of the handwriting itself.
Whilst these two systems were not developed in tandem they marry well, hence the decision to adopt both. Phonics and spelling lesson structures are consistent from Kindergarten (Reception) to Form 2 (Year 4), so when the children get into the lesson, they know the routine and language, therefore their cognitive processes can go straight on to the learning, reading and writing in tandem and ultimately cracking the code.
An integral part of our School is our unique ‘Emotions for Learning’ curriculum, and our ethos of intrinsic motivation so this was part of the consideration when choosing how best to evolve the phonics teaching. Humans are biologically primed to learn through speech, whereas writing and reading are not natural, they are a human invention which has been advanced through the years, and has to be taught. Sounds-Write ‘starts with the sound'; identifying the sounds in the word then moving onto the different ways that sound can be represented in writing. Once children have cracked the code then they can apply this code with confidence and competence. The joy and engagement comes from cracking the code and learning how language works. There are fewer pictures and songs than the previous phonics teaching method and therefore the joy is gained from the engagement and achievement, also providing them with a strategy and toolbox as they grow older to apply to their reading.
The Kindergarten children have taken really well to the routine and structure, and as we had hoped, the children’s focus has been shifted straight to the learning.
The Kindergarten (Reception) children are already writing, which is sooner than previous cohorts and we are really excited to see how the children progress further. Parents have noticed that their children are decoding and reading words earlier than expected and are requesting to practise their handwriting at home.
As children leave Byron House and progress to Senior House (Years 5-8), with increasing years of Sounds-Write phonics under their belts, teachers will expect to see more engagement with reading and more fluency with writing. The Byron House academic leads will be meeting with their counterparts in Senior House this summer to brief them on how the first year of Sounds-Write has progressed and how this will translate to the learning of the children starting in Year 5.