During Reception, children build the foundations of reading and writing through phonics. They begin by learning individual letter sounds and blending simple words, before moving on to digraphs, trigraphs and more complex words.

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Phonics is taught progressively, with each new skill building on what children have already learnt. As a general guide, Phase 2 is introduced in the autumn term, Phase 3 in the spring term and Phase 4 later in the summer term.

 

Children develop at different rates, so these stages are a guide rather than a strict timetable.