Phonics Phases Explained: A Parent's Guide (UK Letters and Sounds)
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1 min read
What phonics phases are
UK schools often follow Letters and Sounds style phases. Each phase adds new letter–sound links (grapheme–phoneme correspondences) so children can sound out words.
Phases at a glance
- Phase 2: First letters and simple CVC words (e.g. sat, pin).
- Phase 3: More digraphs like sh, ch, igh.
- Phase 4: Consonant clusters (stop, frog).
- Phase 5: Alternative spellings and more fluent reading.
How stories help
Decodable stories let children practise new GPCs in context. That is more motivating than lists alone.
What to do next
If you are unsure which phase fits, use our quick phonics phase finder tool, then explore phase pages on My Story Wish and try a Learn to Read story matched to that level.
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