When children are in school they spend time every day focussing on phonics. This helps them to make links between the sounds that they hear and the letters they see around them. When children read they need to link the letters they see on the page to sounds so that the word makes sense. When they write they need to reverse the process and convert the sounds they hear to letters on the page. 

In English we have 26 letters in the alphabet but our language is made from about 44 sounds (or phonemes). This means that letters need to be put together in groups so that all the sounds can be made. On this page are some resources to help you support your child to develop their phonic knowledge. 

How to say sounds so children can blend them to make words

Rocket Phonics

Trowell C of E Primary School follows the Rocket Phonics programme published by Rising Stars.

This is a DfE validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme. It will run alongside the reading scheme which is used in school (Rising Stars). As recommended in the programme children will be taught phonics in class groups and will be introduced to new sounds each week. 

They will read Big Books as a class and spot the focus words, phonemes and graphemes. Reading books are allocated alongside the phonics programme and allow children multiple opportunities to embed their learning. These books will be shared online and will be allocated in addition to a physical reading book. 

See below for a guide for how the programme works at home. 

Phonics Charts

In Reception, children do not learn all of the ways to make each of the sounds they hear. In Year 1, children usually start to learn a wider range of ways to make each sound. We have a range of matching phonics mats which are used through school so that children are able to build on what they are learning. 

If you would like a copy of a sound mat please speak to your child's teacher.