Phonics at Hartford 2026
OUR INTENT - What WeTeach in Phonics
At Hartford Primary School, we are committed to helping every pupil develop the skills needed to become confident, enthusiastic readers. We recognise that learning to read plays a vital role in a child’s understanding of the world. Children are immersed in a rich reading environment, supported by high-quality phonics teaching that provides the essential foundations for both reading and writing across all areas of the curriculum. Our phonics programme is carefully structured, enabling pupils to progressively build their ability to segment, blend and decode words, developing fluency over time.
Through this approach, pupils at Hartford Primary School grow a genuine enjoyment of reading, gain confidence in understanding a wide range of texts, expand their knowledge, and develop into lifelong readers.
OUR IMPLEMENTATION - How We Teach Phonics
Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) is our chosen Phonics programme. The aim of ELS is ‘Getting all children to read well, quickly’. It teaches children to read by identifying the phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and graphemes (the written version of the sound) within words and using these to read words.
Children begin learning Phonics at the very beginning of Reception and it is explicitly taught every day during a dedicated slot on the timetable. Children are given the knowledge and the skills to then apply this independently. Children continue daily Phonics lessons in Year 1 and further through the school to ensure all children become confident, fluent readers.
Each lesson begins with a review of the children’s prior knowledge in phonics. This is followed by the teaching of new sounds and an opportunity for the children to practise and then apply their learning. Our phonics lessons are fast paced, clearly modelled, interactive and challenging to ensure effective learning and progress is made. Whole class teaching allows all children to access Quality First Teaching, while catch up sessions and effective, targeted interventions are also provided for those children who may need a little more practice and support.
At Hartford Primary School we strive to meet the needs of all our children, including those with SEND. Teachers aim to make phonics accessible for pupils of all abilities. Pupils are encouraged to work as independently as possible but reasonable adjustments are made for those children with SEND. Planning is modified, additional scaffolding is provided and we complement whole class teaching with small group interventions and individual support where necessary.
Reading Books
ELS is supported by a wide range of fully decodable texts. These cover both fiction and non-fiction and are exciting and engaging for all our pupils. We match the home reading texts to each child’s current phonic knowledge to ensure that they consolidate their most recent teaching and learning at home.
Children are given daily opportunities to practise their reading. In Reception and Year 1, this is through paired reading. Children read each sentence or page 3 times. The first read focuses on decoding, the second is with more fluency and the third focuses on reading with prosody.
At Hartford Primary School, we are committed to nurturing a lifelong love of reading in every child. Each classroom features a welcoming and engaging reading corner, providing a comfortable space for children to explore books. Daily story time is an important part of our routine, allowing children to share in the enjoyment of stories and develop a passion for reading from an early age.
OUR IMPACT - What Our Children Learn in Phonics
Children at Hartford Primary School experience the joy of books and language whilst rapidly acquiring the skills they need to become fluent independent readers and writers. ELS teaches relevant, useful and ambitious vocabulary to support each child’s journey to becoming fluent and independent readers.
The Curriculum Lead for Phonics and Early Reading is: Naomi Birtwistle.