The Read Write Inc. Phonics programme

At Great Bridge Primary we follow the Read Write Inc Phonics programme to teach children to read.

Learning to read is the most important thing your child will learn at our school. Everything else depends on it, so we put as much energy as we possibly can into making sure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible.

We want your child to love reading – and to want to read for themselves. This is why we put our efforts into making sure they develop a love of books as well as simply learning to read.

How will my child be taught to read?

We start by teaching phonics to the children in the Reception class. This means that they learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading, but it also helps children learn to spell well. We teach the children simple ways of remembering these sounds and letters using rhymes and pictures.

Speed Sounds Set 1

Speed Sounds Set 2

How to say the sounds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once children are ready to read words, they will be introduced to a toy frog named Fred. Fred can only say the sounds in a word and needs help from the children to say the whole word. For example, Fred will say the sounds c-a-t and children will say the word cat. This is called ‘Fred Talk’. As the progress through the programme, children will read green word card using ‘Fred Talk’ and aim to increase pace and fluency.  

The children also practise reading (and spelling) red words or ‘tricky words’, such as ‘once,’ ‘have,’ ‘said’ and ‘where’.

 

The children practise their reading with books that match the phonics and the ‘tricky words’ they know. They start thinking that they can read and this does wonders for their confidence.

The teachers read to the children, too, so the children get to know all sorts of stories, poetry and information books. They learn many more words this way, and it also helps their writing.

Understanding phonics:

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/joZb570F/rs3gic5l

What is Read Write Inc phonics?

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Sf2F0gKM/fKqGws52

 

How will I know how well my child is doing?

We will always let you know how well your child is doing.

We use various ways to find out how the children are getting on in reading. We use the information to decide what reading group they should be in. Your child will work with children who are at the same reading level as him or her. Children will move to a different group if they are making faster progress than the others. Your child will have one-to-one support if we think he or she needs some extra help to keep up. 

We also use a reading test so that we can make sure that all our children are at the level that they should be for their age compared to all the children across the country.

In the summer term, the government asks us to do a phonics check of all the Year 1 children. That gives us extra information about their progress. We will talk to you about how well your child has done, and especially if we have any worries at all.

 

The phonics screening check:

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/tlrEEmii/6QGl8l5f

How do I know the teaching will be good?

All the staff have been trained to teach reading in the way we do it in this school. We believe that it is very important that all the teachers and teaching assistants work in the same way. Senior teachers support other teachers to make sure that the children are learning in the way we want them to learn.

What can I do to help? Is there anything that I shouldn't do?

At different points in your child’s reading journey, you will be invited to meetings so that we can explain how we teach reading. Please come and support your child. We would very much like you to know how to help.

Your child will bring different sorts of books home from school. It helps if you know whether this is a book that your child can read on their own or whether this is a book that you should read to them. The teacher will have explained which is which. Please trust your child’s teacher to choose the book(s) that will help your child the most.

Help your child to sound out the letters in words and then to ‘push’ the sounds together to make a whole word. Try not to refer to the letters by their names. Help your child to focus on the sounds.

Sometimes your child might bring home a picture book that they know well. Please don’t say, ‘This is too easy.’ Instead, encourage your child to tell you the story out loud; ask them questions about things that happen or what they think about some of the characters in the story.

Top 10 tips for reading with your child:

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/oqW4NiHu/UQN1wv7S

We know parents and carers are very busy people. But if you can find time to read to your child as much as possible, it helps him or her to learn about books and stories. They also learn new words and what they mean. Show that you are interested in reading yourself and talk about reading as a family. You can find out about good stories to read to your child here:

Books for KS1 (booksfortopics.com)

Does it matter if my child misses a lesson or two?

It matters a lot if your child misses school. The way we teach children to read is very well organised, so even one missed lesson means that your child has not learnt something that they need to know to be a good reader.

What if my child finds it difficult to learn to read?

We want children to learn to read, however long it takes us to teach them. We will find out very quickly if your child is finding reading difficult. First, we move children to a different group, so that we can make sure that they have learnt what they need to know. If they still struggle, we give them extra time with an adult, on their own. These adults are specially trained to support these children. Your child will still be in the same group with the other children and won’t miss out on any of the class lessons.

If we have any serious worries about your child’s reading, we will talk to you about this.

Some children take a bit longer to learn to put sounds together to read a word, e.g. c-a-t to make the word ‘cat’.  During our meetings, we will explain how you can help your child to do this.

What if my child still needs support with phonics in KS2? 

Pupils in Year 3 and 4 will join the daily RWI programme to ensure they are accessing learning that is appropriate to their phonic ability. These pupils will also have additional 1:1 tutoring to help them catch up with their peers.

In Year 5 and 6, pupils who still require phonics teaching to improve their decoding skills or improve their fluency, take part in the Fresh Start programme. These sessions are delivered by a fully trained reading teacher and follow the principles of the RWI programme. Pupils have access to a range of reading materials that suit their age and interest whilst being closely matched to their phonic ability. The progress of these pupils is rigorously tracked to ensure rapid progress.

For further information on how we teach phonics through the Read Write Inc programme, please refer to our Phonics and Early Reading Policy.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns. We are here to help.