Robert Peel Phonics : Teaching Progression
Earliest phonics
Jolly Phonics
Letters and Sounds: Phase 1
From this point, Sounds Write to be used as the primary teaching strategy with
Letters and Sounds activities being used as reinforcement.
Word lists to aid teaching can be found in the Sounds Write file and Letters
and Sounds teacher’s book.
Skills : to segment,
blend and manipulate
sounds in words with the
structure:
CVC
Sounds/spellings to be
covered
Conceptual knowledge
(Phase 2/3 L+S)
Sounds can be represented
by spellings with one letter
a, i, m, s, t
n, o, p
b, c, g, h
d, e, f, v
k, l, r, u
j, w, z, x, y
ff, ll, ss, zz
Some spellings are written
with a double consonant
(Phase 3 L+S)
sh, ch, th, ck, ng, qu
Some spellings are written
with two different letters
VCC and CVCC
2 consonants in final
position (3 and 4 sound
words)
CCVC
2 consonants in initial
position
CCVCC, CVCCC and
CCCVC
5 sound words
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
ai (wait)
igh (night)
ee (feet)
oa (boat)
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
oo (boot, look)
ar (farm) ow (cow)
or (for)
oi (coin)
ur (hurt)
er (corner)
air (fair) ear (hear)
ure (sure)
Some spellings are written
with more than two
different letters
The majority of Reception children should reach at least this point by the end
of the year.
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
(Phase 5 L+S)
ay (day)
ou (out)
ie (tie)
ea (eat)
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
oy (boy)
ue (blue)
wh (when)
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
ph (dolphin)
ew (new, chew)
oe (toe)
au (Paul)
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
a-e (make)
e-e (these)
i-e (like)
Using all above word
structures
and polysyllabic words
o-e (home)
u-e (huge)
Alternative pronunciation
ea
A sound can be
represented by more than
one spelling
ir (girl)
aw (saw)
bread + clean
Alternative spelling
/ae/ sound
ea (steak) + ai, ay, a-e
Alternative spelling
/ee/ sound
e (we) y (funny) + ee, ea
Alternative pronunciation
o
old, do + from
Alternative spelling
/oe/ sound
ow (snow) o (open) + oa, oe, o-e
Alternative spelling
/ir/ sound
or (word) + er, ir, ur
Alternative spelling
/ie/ sound
y (fly) i (find) + igh, ie, i-e
Alternative spelling
/oo/ short sound
Alternative pronunciation
ou
u (put) oul (would) + oo
group, touch + cloud
Alternative spelling
/u/ sound
ou (young) o (mother) + u
Alternative spelling
/s/ sound
c (city) ce (ice) se (horse) sc (science)
st (Christmas) + s, ss
Alternative pronunciation
s
eggs
+ stop
Alternative spelling
/l/ sound
al (metal) el (model) il (pencil)
le (paddle) ol (petrol) + l, ll
Alternative spelling
/or/ sound
al (walk) a (also) ar (warm) + or, aw, au
Alternative spelling
/air/ sound
are (glare) ear (bear) ere (there)
eir (there) ayer (prayer)
ayor (mayor) + air
Alternative spelling
/ue/ sound
u (unit) + ue, ew, u-e
Alternative spelling
/ar/ sound
a (ask) al (calm) au (laugh) + ar
Alternative pronunciation
a
want, apron, vase + ant
Alternative spelling
/o/ sound
Alternative spelling
/ae/ sound
a (apron) ei (rein) ey (grey)
eigh (eight) + ai, ay, ea, a-e
Alternative spelling
/d/ sound
dd (middle) ed (played) + d
Alternative spelling
/ee/ sound
Alternative spelling
/i/ sound
Alternative spelling
/oe/ sound
Alternative pronunciation
Alternative spelling
ch
/n/ sound
a (want) + o
ey (valley) ie (field) i (ski) + e, ee, ea, y
ui (build) e (racket) y (mystery) + i
ou (shoulder) ough (though) + oe, o-e, ow,
oa, o
school, chef + church
nn (dinner) ne (gone) gn (gnash)
kn (knife) + n
Alternative spelling
/er/ sound
ar (pillar) ear (earth) our (favour)
+ er, ir, or, ur
Alternative spelling
/v/ sound
ve (above) + v
Alternative spelling
/oo/ long sound
u (super) ui (fruit) ou (group)
ough (through) + oo, ew, ue, u-e
Alternative spelling
/j/ sound
g (gentle) ge (large) dge (badge) + j
Alternative spelling
/g/ sound
gg (waggle) gh (ghost) gu (guide) + g
Alternative spelling
/f/ sound
gh (laugh) + f, ff, ph
Alternative spelling
/m/ sound
mm (summer) mb (lamb) mn (autumn) +m
Alternative spelling
/or/ sound
oar (board) ore (more) our (pour)
augh (daughter) ough (thought) +previous
Alternative spelling
/h/ sound
wh (whole) + h
Alternative spelling
/k/ sound
cc (piccolo) ch (chemist) + previous
Alternative spelling
/r/ sound
rr (hurry) rh (rhubarb) wr (wrong) + r
Alternative spelling
/t/ sound
tt (rotten) bt (doubt) te (paste) + t
Alternative spelling
/ear/ sound
eer (cheer) ere (here) + ear
The majority of Year 1 children should reach this point by the end of the year.
Sounds Write
Letters and
Sounds :
Phase 6
July 2014
Focus on reading/spelling polysyllabic words
Word endings
 /chuh/ adventure
 /shun/ action, optician, possession, fashion, Alsatian
 /shus/ delicious, infectious
 /zhun/ confusion, division



Teaching the past tense
Learning how to add suffixes and prefixes
Knowledge of the spelling system