Hambrough Primary and Nursery School

Intent 

At our school, we are committed to ensuring that all children become confident, fluent, and enthusiastic readers as early as possible. Through the delivery of Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS), a DfE‑validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme, we aim to give every child the secure foundations they need to access the wider curriculum. 

Our intent is to: 

• Teach children to decode and blend sounds accurately and efficiently 

• Enable rapid progress so that children can read fluently with confidence 

• Use consistent terminology and routines shared by staff, children and parents 

• Support early reading success while fostering a love of books and reading 

• Ensure no child is left behind through early identification and targeted support 

Implementation 

Phonics is taught through Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS), which is delivered daily to all children in EYFS and Key Stage 1. 

• Children receive daily, whole‑class phonics lessons that follow a clearly structured progression. 

• Teaching focuses on the systematic teaching of grapheme–phoneme correspondences, blending and segmenting. 

• Ongoing assessment is used to monitor progress and identify children who need additional intervention or support. 

• Reading books are carefully matched to the phonics teaching taking place in school so children can practice what they know. 

• Children take home a decodable reading book, which is changed weekly and is intended to be read four times across the week to build fluency, confidence and accuracy. 

• Parents are encouraged to read with their child for 10 minutes a day, reinforcing learning and supporting rapid progress. 

• Children are only asked to read independently when texts are fully decodable for them. 

• Sharing books are also sent home to be enjoyed together, helping to develop comprehension, vocabulary and a lifelong enjoyment of reading. 

• Re‑reading texts is a key part of our approach, allowing children to become fluent and secure as they encounter different spellings of the same sounds. 

Through consistent teaching, repetition, and strong home–school partnerships, ELS ensures children develop the skills they need to become successful, independent readers. 

Impact 

As a result of our rigorous and consistent approach: 

• Pupils learn to read quickly and confidently 

• Gaps are identified and addressed early on 

• Pupils develop secure decoding skills and increasing fluency 

• Reading outcomes are strong, and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of learning 

• Pupils leave KS1 as competent, motivated readers who enjoy reading and can access the full curriculum