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Reception Phonics
Code-Breakers: Hamilton's Phonics Scheme

Code-Breakers is a synthetic phonics programme that teaches phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences (PGCs) in a systematic, child-friendly fashion. It covers all the pre-requisite skills for reading – sequencing, sound identification, reproduction and discrimination – in a structured scheme of word-level work. The programme is based on extensive research on the frequency of PGCs, which ensures that these are taught in the order that children are most likely to meet them.

Session 1 Code-Breakers (Book 1)

Objectives

In Weeks 1-5, the following PGCs are covered:
/c/ as c; /t/ at t; /a/ as a
/d/ as d; /g/ as g; /o/ as o
/m/ as m; /n/ as n
/i/ as i; /s/ as s and s
/u/ as u; /r/ as r

In weeks 6-10, the following PGCs are covered:
/h/ as h; /l/ as l and ll
/e/ as e; /b/ as b
/f/ as f and ff; /sh/ as sh
/p/ as p; /c/ as k and ck
/ee/ as y; /p/ as pp (+ mm, dd, rr, nn)

Session 2 Code-Breakers (Book 2)

Objectives

In Weeks 11-15, the following PGCs are covered:
/ee/ as ee, ea, e
/w/ as w and wh; /ch/ as ch
/th/ as th; /ng/ as ng
/tthh/ as th; /v/ as v and ve
/oo/ as oo, u and oul

In Weeks 16-20, the following PGCs are covered:
/j/ as j; /ar/ as ar and a
/ou/ as ou, ow and ough
/or/ as or, ore, aw and a
/ay/ as ay, a-e, ai
Revision

Session 3 Code-Breakers (Book 3)

Objectives

In Weeks 21-26, the following PGCs are covered:
/ie/ as y, ie, i-e, i and igh
/cw/ as qu; /cs/ as x; /y/ as y
/oa/ as ow, o, oa, oe and o-e
/ooh/ as oo, ew, o
/z/ as z, zz and s; /g/ as gu and gh
/er/ as er, ur, ir, ear and or

In Weeks 27-32, the following PGCs are covered:
/s/ as c, se and ce
/j/ as g, ge and dge
/l/ as le + tt, gg, bb
/ue/ as ew, u-e and u
/ch/ as tch, /oy/ as oi and oy
Revision

Session 4 Code-Breakers (Book 4)

Objectives

In Weeks 33-38, the following PGCs are covered:
/ooh/ as ue, u-e and ui (learn ou); /c/ as ch
/air/ as ear, air and are (learn ere and eir)
/u/ as o and ou (learn o-e); /f/ as ph (learn gh)
/e/ as ea (learn a); /o/ as a
/ay/ as ea (learn eigh, ea and ey)
/ee/ as ie and ey (learn /or/ as ar)

In Weeks 39-43, the following PGCs are covered:
/or/ as oor and oar (learn au)
/or/ as ough and our (learn augh)
(learn /or/ as al) /t/ as ed and d
/d/ as ed, ng and n
/sh/ as ti (learn si, ci and ch); /zh/ as si (learn s)