Phonics at Pottery
At Pottery Primary School, we are passionate about ensuring all children become confident, fluent readers. We follow the 'Twinkl Phonics' scheme, which is a fully DfE validated systematic, synthetic programme (SSP) that is designed to give children the best start to their reading journey. 

Phonics is taught daily and builds progressively through Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1, with continued support into Key Stage 2 for those who need it. We place a strong emphasis on matching reading books to each child’s current phonetic level. This ensures that children are reading texts that they can decode independently, which builds fluency and accuracy. 

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), children typically master Levels 1 and 2 by the end of December. From January, they begin working on Level 3 and progress to Level 4 during the summer term. In Key Stage 1, children in Year 1 start at Level 5, while those in Year 2 advance to Level 6. 

Assessment
Phonics assessments take place half-termly to ensure that children move through the Twinkl Phonics programme at an appropriate pace and that reading books are closely matched to their current phonic knowledge. Alongside these assessments, all Year 1 children complete the Department for Education Phonics Screening Check, with Year 2 children re-taking the assessment if they did not meet the expected standard previously. In preparation, children complete at least two past papers before the final screening check in June. These assessments provide teachers with a clear understanding of each child’s ability to segment and blend sounds, enabling timely intervention and additional support where knowledge gaps are identified.

Intervention and Support
Children who are identified as needing additional support in phonics receive targeted intervention to help them keep up with their peers. These sessions are carefully planned to address specific gaps in knowledge and focus on revisiting sounds, blending, and segmenting skills. Interventions are delivered by trained staff and reviewed regularly to ensure they are effective and responsive to each child’s progress. Our aim is for every child to develop secure phonics knowledge and confidence in reading.

Training and support for staff
All staff received comprehensive phonics training in September 2025 to ensure a consistent and high-quality approach across the school. We are also currently receiving ongoing support from the Flying High English Hub to further strengthen our provision and ensure our phonics teaching is the very best it can be.

Our Commitment to Reading Success
At our school, we are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a confident, fluent reader who enjoys reading for pleasure and purpose. Through high-quality phonics teaching, regular assessment, and carefully planned support, we strive to give every child the strongest possible start on their reading journey.

Parents are regularly invited into school throughout the year to see phonics teaching in action and learn more about how we teach early reading. The most important ways you can support your child at home are by helping them to practise their reading regularly and by pronouncing the pure sounds as they are taught in school. Working together, we can help every child to develop a love of reading and build strong foundations for future learning.

Below are some documents that you may find useful to support your child's phonics at home.