Reading

Read Write Inc. 

Read, Write, Inc is the phonic scheme that we use to teach reading and spelling in Early Years and Key Stage One. We have chosen Read, Write, Inc because we want our children to learn to read as quickly as possible, and then read widely and become lifelong readers. 

Click here to learn more about the scheme, from Ruth Miskin’s website.

Reception 

In Reception all children will learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down.

Reading 

The children: 

• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below 
• learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending 
• read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge 
• work well with partners 
• develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' discussion questions 

Writing 

The children: 

• learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases 
• learn to write words by using Fred Talk 
• learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write 

Talking 

The children: work in pairs so that they: 

• answer every question 
• practise every activity with their partner 
• take turns in talking and reading to each other 
• develop ambitious vocabulary 

Year 1 & Year 2

Children continue to follow the same format as Reception but will work on complex sounds and read books appropriate to their reading level. In year two, once children are fluent readers and completed the RWI phonics they move onto RWI Spelling. 

The children are taught the sounds in 3 sets. 

Step 1:

Sounds are taught in the following order together with rhymes to help children form the letters correctly and instantly recognise sounds ready for blending. 

m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h r j v y w z x  

The following sounds in set 1 are called ‘special friends’, two letters that make one sound.  

sh th chq u ng nk 

Step 2: 

The children are then taught Set 2 Sounds - the long vowels. In this order: 

ay ee igh ow oo o oar or air ir ou oy 

When they are very confident with all of set 1 and 2 they are taught Set 3 Sounds. In this order: 

ea oi a-e i-e o-e u-e aw are ur er ow ai oa ew ire ear ure tion tious/cious 

Nonsense words (Alien words)  

As well as learning to read and blend real words children will have plenty of opportunities to apply their sound recognition skills on reading ‘Nonsense words’. These words will also feature heavily in the Year One Phonics Screening check in the summer term.

Phonics screening check Year 1 

What is the Year 1 phonics screening check? 

The Year 1 phonics screening check is a short, light-touch assessment to confirm whether individual pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. 

It will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support by their school to improve their reading skills. They will then be able to retake the check so that schools can track pupils until they are able to decode.