“I’m a KS2 teacher. I don’t need to know anything about phonics.” Is this something you’ve heard a colleague say? Well, as a year 6 teacher myself, it saddens me that you may have heard teachers state such things.

Before moving over to teach year 6, I taught in year 1 for three years and I too probably dismissed phonics when I became a ‘KS2 teacher’. How wrong I was! I use phonics techniques daily within my classroom and my year 6 students reap the benefits.

Here are some of the reasons as to why phonics is just as vital in KS2 as it is in KS1.

Supporting Those Students Not Meeting Age Related Expectations

For students struggling to grasp their sounds further up the school, school can be tough, and they are often kept on the phonics programme as a priority. This is great, however if their classroom teacher has no phonics training then, how can the phonics knowledge become embedded and supported throughout their learning?

Students not meeting age related expectations will need time to sound out their words, blend them and then to read them, just like any EYFS/year 1 student. As a KS2 teacher, you can help by knowing the phonics scheme your school follows, the processes of teaching reading within the scheme and ensuring you pronounce the phonemes and graphemes correctly.

Adaptive Teaching

Have a sounds chart up in your room, refer to it throughout the day and make it the norm for KS2 students to use the sounds as a learning tool. Many students like routine and so many phonics schemes offer this. By using familiar sound mats and phonics principles you will be providing students that need adaptations with relatable tools which will in turn give them confidence. Have the KS1 phonics resources at hand ready for any students that might benefit from them.

Establishing Behaviour Management

I didn’t quite realise how transferable my phonics training would be when moving to Year 6. Phonics schemes pride themselves on rigorous routines and consistency of expectations which in turn creates a focussed and conducive environment for learning to read. I have found the following phonics behavioural techniques to be successful in KS2:

• Non-verbal hand signals for indicating when a child can move desks or verbalise their thoughts. This can create a very calm environment for children.
• Fast-paced and small learning chunks to ensure students remain fully engaged - an essential tool for behaviour management.
• Repetition and routine- children love structure and this in turn reassures them; allowing them to remain focussed and calm.

Partner Talk

We all know how valuable talk is and especially with peers. Partner talk is modelled and instilled in students from the start of their education and often begins in their phonics lessons. If KS2 teachers observe KS1 phonics in practise, then all teachers will be equipped to model partner work consistently across the child’s education.

Spelling and Widening Vocabulary

Our English language is one of the trickiest and includes 44 different sounds with many of them having multiple spellings. For example, the long vowel /a/ sound can be spelt: ay (play), ai (rain), a-e (take), ei (rein), eigh (sleigh), ey (they) and sometimes 'a' by itself (able/apron)! Without truly knowing and understanding the complexities of our language, spelling can become a challenge further up in the school. All teachers must have a phonological awareness to enhance their spelling and reading lessons alike. Students will then have a chance to grasp trickier spellings and a strong foundation in reading allows students’ vocabulary to expand.

In short, phonics and early reading involves every teacher and is not just a KS1 concern. So, don’t forget to upskill your KS2 teachers in phonics too.

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