Learning Matters

Phonological Awareness

Building staff knowledge and practice in the teaching of phonological awareness is a key part of our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP).

Phonological awareness includes children’s ability to recognise:

• syllables (for example pla.ty.pus)
• rhymes (for example rain/Jane; pouring/snoring)
• sounds at the start/end of words (for example cup/kit, drink/stuck)
• sounds within words (for example starch —> s t arch)

Phonological awareness is an important set of skills to develop throughout early childhood and primary school. It is strongly linked to later reading and spelling success.

We can think about phonological awareness as a sequence from basic phonological awareness skills, to more complex ones, as shown below in the 'Phonological Awareness: Staircase to success'.

All staff, from Foundation to Year 6, have engaged with professional learning about phonological awareness to provide our students with a consistent approach across the school. Although many of the basic skills are taught in the Junior School, teachers in Years 3-6 have identified students that still require explicit instruction in phonological awareness.