R-Controlled Vowel Sounds
Read and spell words containing r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, ur, or, ore) and vowel-r patterns where 'r' modifies the vowel sound
Suggested ages 5–6
Learning journey
Your child is building the foundation for reading — learning how letters and sounds work together, recognizing common words by sight, and developing the skills to sound out new words independently.
Evidence of understanding
- Read words with r-controlled vowels (e.g. 'car', 'bird', 'fork', 'her')
- Recognise that 'r' changes the vowel sound (e.g. 'cat' vs 'cart')
- Spell words with common r-controlled patterns
Assessment prompt
When R-Controlled Vowel Sounds reads words like 'car', 'bird', 'nurse', or 'fork', can they recognise that the 'r' after the vowel changes its sound, and read the word correctly?
Standards alignment
Vowel digraph: ar
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: er (/ɜ:/)
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: er (/ə/)
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: ir
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: ur
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: or
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Vowel digraph: ore
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1