Phonics is the method used in UK schools to teach children how to read and write. It works by teaching children the sounds that letters and groups of letters make, so they can blend those sounds together to read words. If your child is in Reception or Key Stage 1, phonics will be a central part of their learning — here is everything you need to know.
What Is Phonics?
Phonics is a way of teaching reading by connecting sounds (called phonemes) with the letters or letter groups (called graphemes) that represent them. For example:
- The letter s makes the /s/ sound.
- The letters sh together make the /sh/ sound.
- The letters igh together make the /igh/ sound (as in “night”).
Children learn to decode words by sounding out each phoneme and then blending them together: c-a-t → cat. They also learn to encode (spell) by listening to the sounds in a word and writing the matching letters.
The Phases of Phonics
Phonics is taught in six phases, roughly aligned with the school year. Each phase builds on the one before:
Phase 1 (Nursery / Pre-school)
Before children learn letters, they develop awareness of sounds in the environment. Activities include listening games, rhyming songs, clapping syllables, and distinguishing between different sounds. This is all about tuning children’s ears to sound.
Phase 2 (Reception, first half-term)
Children learn 19 letters and the sounds they make. They start blending sounds to read simple words like sat, pin, and dog. They also learn to segment words for writing.
Letters taught: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss
Phase 3 (Reception, second and third terms)
Children learn the remaining letters of the alphabet and begin learning digraphs (two letters that make one sound) and trigraphs (three letters that make one sound).
New sounds include: ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er
Phase 4 (Reception / Year 1)
No new sounds are introduced. Instead, children practise blending and segmenting longer words, especially those with consonant clusters (two consonants together) like stop, clap, and drink.
Phase 5 (Year 1)
Children learn alternative spellings for sounds they already know. For example, they already know the /ai/ sound from “rain,” and now learn it can also be spelled ay (day), a-e (cake), and ey (grey). This is also when they encounter more unusual or irregular words.
Phase 6 (Year 2 and beyond)
Children become fluent readers and start learning spelling rules, prefixes, suffixes, and how to tackle longer multisyllabic words. Phonics knowledge is now applied automatically as part of everyday reading and writing.
The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
In June of Year 1, all children in England take the Phonics Screening Check. Here is what it involves:
- 40 words to read aloud, one at a time, to their teacher.
- 20 real words (like “cat,” “fresh,” “train”) and 20 pseudo-words (made-up words like “terg” or “spron”) that test pure decoding ability.
- The pass mark is typically 32 out of 40.
- Children who do not meet the threshold are given extra support and retake the check in Year 2.
The pseudo-words are often called “alien words” and are presented with a picture of a monster or alien to show they are not real. Children simply need to sound them out using their phonics knowledge.
Key Phonics Terms Explained
- Phoneme: The smallest unit of sound in a word. “Cat” has three phonemes: /c/ /a/ /t/.
- Grapheme: The letter or letters that represent a phoneme. The grapheme for /sh/ is the two letters “sh.”
- Digraph: Two letters that make one sound (e.g., sh, ch, th, ee, oa).
- Trigraph: Three letters that make one sound (e.g., igh, ear, air).
- Blending: Pushing sounds together to read a word: /s/ /t/ /r/ /ee/ /t/ → street.
- Segmenting: Breaking a word into its sounds for spelling: “shop” → /sh/ /o/ /p/.
- Split digraph: Two letters split by a consonant that still work together, like the a…e in “cake” or the i…e in “time.”
How to Help Your Child with Phonics at Home
1. Practise Sound Buttons
Write a word on paper and put a dot under each sound (not each letter). For “ship,” you would put dots under “sh,” “i,” and “p” — three dots for three sounds. Then ask your child to point to each dot and say the sound.
2. Play Sound-Spotting Games
“Can you find something in this room that starts with the /b/ sound?” or “How many things can you see that have the /ee/ sound?” These games make phonics feel like play rather than work.
3. Read Together Every Day
Shared reading is the single most powerful thing you can do. When your child encounters a tricky word, encourage them to sound it out rather than telling them the answer. Praise them for trying, even if they get it wrong.
4. Use Phonics Apps and Games
Free apps from Phonics Play, Teach Your Monster to Read, and the Oxford Owl website provide interactive phonics activities that children enjoy. Even 10 minutes a day makes a difference.
5. Say the Sounds Correctly
When practising phonics, say the pure sound — /s/ not “suh,” /m/ not “muh.” Adding an extra “uh” to the end makes blending harder for children.
6. Practise Pseudo-Words for the Screening Check
If your child is approaching the Year 1 check, practise reading nonsense words together. Explain that these words are not real — they just need to sound them out. This removes the temptation to guess based on what looks like a real word.
Related Reading
How StudyBox Can Help
At StudyBox, our English tutors build strong phonics foundations through structured, multisensory lessons. We work on decoding, blending, spelling, and reading fluency — whether your child needs extra support before the Year 1 check or wants to become a more confident reader. Our small-group setting means every child gets the individual attention they need.
Book a free trial lesson at one of our centres in Wallington, Sutton, or Croydon.
