Getting started with phonics for 4-year-olds
How many people do you think can remember learning to read? Can they remember the days, weeks, months and years their primary school teachers took teaching them a skill that would open up a world of opportunities? How many can remember recognising those initial letters on the page, combining the letters and sounds to form words and then attaching meaning to those words? The chances are, not many. For those that struggled with reading however, the memories are probably more vivid.
Learning to read is hard. But teaching children how to read is infinitely more difficult.
Four steps to build better foundations for reading success
When children across the country start school at the age of four, they each come with a different starting point, a different set of needs, preferences and ways of learning. The one thing they have in common is their reliance on their teachers to lay the foundations for success in education and beyond. But what do those foundations look like?
The evidence is clear that systematic synthetic phonics programmes like Pearson’s Bug Club Phonics are the most effective way to teach children to read. From that very first day in the classroom, these programmes work to close the gaps between pupils and help them take the necessary steps to read by the age of six.
Here are four steps to consider when getting started:
Introduce phonics teaching before books
Unlike analytical phonics, in systematic synthetic phonics programmes children are taught letter sounds before they are introduced to books. This elemental approach means most sounds can be taught within a few months. According to the findings of the ground-breaking 7-year Clackmannanshire Report, this means that “[young] children can read many of the unfamiliar words they meet in text for themselves, without the assistance of the teacher.”
Start at the beginning
The Clackmannanshire Report also discovered that the earlier children began synthetic phonics, the more impactful it was to their long-term learning. By the end of the 5-term programme, the synthetic phonics-taught group were reading and spelling seven months ahead of their expected level compared to other groups. In our own Bug Club Efficacy Research Report, pupils made 30 months of progress in just 18 months!
Get to grips with the gaps
Socio-economic disadvantage can dramatically inhibit how children learn literacy. The long-term consequences for their future careers and relationships can be severe. Phonics programmes, like Bug Club Phonics, have been shown to not only close the gaps between boys and girls, but to provide a method that is very effective for the lowest attaining 20%. In assessing the outcome of synthetic phonics in the early years, Clackmannanshire researchers found no statistically significant differences in reading performance between learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.
Find the fun
The right systematic synthetic phonics programmes can ignite a love of reading among children that lasts a lifetime. Look for materials that keep children enthusiastically engaged with colourful, fun and varied content. Fully decodable and diverse resources, such as Bug Club’s new ranges, further ensure that all children thrive in phonics, regardless of their background or ability
Claim extra phonics funding to boost literacy in your school
Have you made your application for up to £9,000 of funding to boost literacy in your school? As part of the DfE announcement to expand the Accelerator Fund, your school could benefit from additional funding to purchase and embed a Systematic Synthetic Phonics Programme (SSP).
State-funded infant schools, primary schools, junior schools, special schools and pupil referral units with primary school aged children have until June to apply!
Discover how we can help you access the funding you need to help your pupils thrive.