Key features of the SSP programme
Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) is a complete SSP programme developed by specialist teachers at the Knowledge Schools Trust, one of the Department for Education’s English Hubs. The programme has been thoroughly piloted in schools and led to significantly increased phonics screening scores. It has at its heart the aim that all children learn to read well, quickly.
Key features:
• Whole-class high-quality teaching with well-structured daily lesson plans
• Consistent terminology used by teachers, children and parents
• Consistent resources that support the teaching of ELS
• Effective use of repetition throughout the programme
• Regular and manageable assessment to ensure that all children keep up rather than catch up • High-quality training to ensure that all staff are confident in teaching phonics
Resources:
• Engaging resources to support effective classroom delivery: friezes, flashcards and activity books
• Wide range of carefully-matched decodable books published by Oxford University Press for children to apply their phonics learning and experience reading success
• Daily front-of-class lessons via the whiteboard to help provide consistency and pace
• Built-in keep up and review sequence to ensure all children make progress, especially the lowest-attaining 20%
Hazlemere Church of England Combined School
The teaching of early reading
As a school, we are committed to ensuring that every child leaves our school having achieved the expected skills in reading for an 11 year old. A secure ability in reading, alongside a passion for what reading can bring, is a fundamental entitlement for every child and will allow her or him to achieve well in all other areas of the curriculum throughout their schooling.
Our commitment starts from the moment that children join our school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) we base the teaching of reading on the following strands:
Understanding synthetic phonics:
The five key skills taught through our synthetic phonics programme includes the following:
Useful resources:
Videos to help teach and learn phonics
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/oxford-owl-videos/phonics-videos/
For videos and resources please use the following link
http://www.phonics4free.org/home
http://www.phonics4free.org/phonics-repository
A pronunciation guide for the phonemes can also be found using the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhXUW_v-1s
A guide for helping parents understand why the pure pronunciation of phonics sounds is so important can also be found at: