Intent
At The Rowans Primary, we recognise that secure reading and spelling skills are essential for children to access the wider curriculum, communicate effectively and become independent learners. Many pupils join our provision having experienced disruption to their education due to social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, difficulties attending school, unmet learning needs or other barriers to learning. Consequently, children may have gaps in their reading and spelling knowledge, regardless of their age or year group. We follow Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS), a systematic synthetic phonics programme that develops children's understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds through a structured and progressive approach. We recognise that reading and spelling do not always develop at the same rate. Some children require support with decoding and blending, while others are fluent readers but experience difficulties with spelling and written expression. We therefore assess and teach phonics for reading and phonics for spelling as two separate but complementary strands, ensuring teaching is matched to each child's individual starting point. Our aim is to identify and close gaps in learning as quickly as possible, developing accurate, fluent reading and secure spelling skills so that pupils can read with understanding, write confidently and engage successfully across the curriculum.
Implementation
Assessment and Individual Provision
Upon admission, pupils complete separate baseline assessments for reading and spelling. Reading assessments identify decoding, blending, word-reading accuracy and fluency, while spelling assessments establish children's ability to segment sounds, recognise spelling patterns and apply their knowledge in writing. Assessment outcomes determine whether children require daily phonics for reading, phonics for spelling, both strands or neither, based on their demonstrated skills rather than their age or year group. Teaching is planned around individual starting points, with regular assessment used to identify gaps, inform next steps and ensure pupils receive the appropriate level of support.
Phonics for Reading
Children requiring support with word reading receive daily, structured phonics teaching following Essential Letters and Sounds. Teaching develops pupils' ability to recognise sounds and their corresponding letters, blend sounds to decode words, recognise increasingly complex spelling patterns and develop accurate, fluent word reading. Children practise using decodable books matched to their taught phonics knowledge. As decoding becomes increasingly automatic, pupils can focus more effectively on comprehension, vocabulary and understanding written information across the curriculum.
Phonics for Spelling
Some children join The Rowans Primary as fluent readers but have gaps in their spelling knowledge, which can affect their confidence and ability to write independently. Children identified through spelling assessments receive daily, targeted phonics for spelling teaching. This develops their ability to segment words into sounds, select appropriate spellings, recognise spelling patterns and apply their knowledge accurately in writing. Secure spelling knowledge supports writing fluency, allowing children to focus on sentence construction, vocabulary and communicating their ideas rather than concentrating solely on spelling individual words.
Daily Teaching and Targeted Intervention
Phonics teaching is delivered daily by trained practitioners, maintaining the systematic sequence, routines and principles of Essential Letters and Sounds. Sessions include explicit modelling, recall of prior learning, guided practice and independent application. Teaching is adapted to each child's individual needs, starting point and readiness for learning. Additional repetition, consolidation, multisensory activities, technology and practical resources are used to support engagement, recall and retention while maintaining a consistent, structured approach. Our priority is to identify and close gaps in learning as quickly as possible. Progress is regularly assessed, tracked and monitored to identify skills that have been secured and areas requiring further development. Where gaps are identified, our dedicated Interventions Team provides additional targeted teaching to strengthen knowledge, improve accuracy and develop fluency. Teachers and intervention staff regularly review the impact of teaching and interventions, adapting the focus, level and frequency of support in response to each child's progress. This ensures provision remains purposeful, effective and appropriately challenging, without unnecessarily repeating skills already secured.
Reading and Spelling Across the Curriculum
Phonics provides the foundations for our wider reading and writing curriculum. Children have regular opportunities to apply their skills through high-quality texts, reading activities and purposeful writing across different subjects. Developing reading fluency enables pupils to understand instructions, access information and engage with increasingly challenging learning. Secure spelling supports children to record their knowledge, express ideas and demonstrate understanding independently.
Impact
Through systematic teaching, regular assessment and targeted intervention, pupils develop increasingly secure phonics knowledge, improved decoding and blending, greater reading fluency and more accurate spelling. Progress is measured from each child's individual starting point, enabling teachers to identify gaps, evaluate the impact of teaching and adapt provision to secure continued progress. As reading and spelling become more secure, children demonstrate greater confidence, independence and fluency. They become increasingly able to understand written information, communicate their ideas and apply their literacy skills across the curriculum. Our aim is for every child to develop the essential reading and spelling skills needed to overcome barriers to learning, access the wider curriculum and achieve their individual potential.