Phonics at HMS

Phonics in Year 1

At Hanborough Manor, we use the DfE-approved Rocket Phonics programme to teach phonics. In Year 1, children build on the phonics skills developed in Reception by learning alternative spellings for digraphs and trigraphs they already know. They also continue to learn a range of tricky words-words that do not always follow phonics rules.

Phonics in Year 2

In Year 2, children revise and consolidate previously taught phonics while learning additional alternative spellings. They are also introduced to further spelling and grammar rules, including prefixes and suffixes.

Phonics Screening Check

All children in Year 1 across the country take part in a Phonics Screening Check during the same week in June. This reading check involves children reading a series of words to assess whether they have reached the expected standard. Some of the words are real, while others are ‘alien words’ (made up words designed to assess phonics skills).

The check takes place in a quiet room, where children read independently to a familiar adult. Parents are usually informed of the results at the end of the academic year, along with confirmation of whether their child has met the expected reading standard.