The teaching of phonics is a priority for the school; I visited the school today to develop my knowledge of this area of the curriculum.

I met with Mrs Buttress who explained the principles of the programme and then visited the F2 class and watched their phonics session. The children were engaged, clearly enjoying their learning. They revised some known sounds then learnt some new ones. During their learning, the children practised listening, speaking, reading and writing which consolidates their knowledge. They also use technical language; graphene, phoneme, digraph in context and with good understanding.

It is clear to see how the phonics helps to develop reading skills. There is rigour in the approach and pace in the learning. The level of concentration from the children was exceptional and they were all engaged throughout.