Phonics and Early Reading

In Reception and in Key Stage 1, pupils follow the Read Write Inc. phonics programme to teach pupils to read and write. Pupils have daily lessons which systematically teach the common sounds in the English language and how to blend and segment sounds to read and write using their phonic knowledge.

Teaching Early Reading in EYFS and KS1

Our pupils learn to read effectively and quickly using Read Write Inc., a systematic synthetic phonics based programme. During our phonics lessons children learn to:

• Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills
• Read common exception words
• Understand what they read
• Read aloud with fluency and expression
• Write confidently, with a strong focus on spelling, letter formation and punctuation
• Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words (using Fred Fingers)

In addition, we teach pupils to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. We group pupils homogeneously, according to their progress in reading.

In Reception and Year 1 (and those in Year 2 who still require this time), children learn:

• Single letter sounds
• Diagraphs (special friends)
• Tri-graphs (special friends)
• Simple mnemonics

The pupils rapidly learn sounds and the letter or groups of letters they need to represent them. Once they are ready, children will read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and common exception words through our shared reading programme. In Year 2, once the children have completed the Read Write Inc. phonics programme, they progress on to the reading comprehension lessons.

Set 1 sounds - Reception

Shared Reading

Once children are confident with recognising, blending and reading ‘Set 1 sounds’, they begin shared reading.

During shared reading, children learn to:

• Practise with, and support, a partner
• Quickly recognise sounds
• Decode new story vocabulary
• Develop a wide range of vocabulary
• Read accurately and fluently
• Locate information in the text
• Make basic inferences based on what they have read
• Comprehend what they have read
• Articulate their thoughts and ideas
• Communicate what they know and understand
• Read common exception words (and identify which part of the word is tricky)

Year 2

Children in Year 2 continue to progress through the Read Write Inc. programme. Children are regularly assessed and grouped into small focus groups for shared reading. In the Spring term, children progress onto the Read Write Inc. comprehension programme. Reading comprehensions are regularly undertaken.