Phonics - Read Write Inc

The Read Write Inc. Phonics Programme

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. 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.

The children also practise reading (and spelling) what we call ‘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.

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.

How long will it take to learn to read well?

By the end of Year 2, your child should be able to read aloud books that are at the right level for his or her age. In Year 3 we concentrate more on helping children to understand what they are reading, although this work begins very early on. This happens when the teacher reads to the children and also when the children read their own story book.

What can I do to help?

Your child will bring different sorts of books home from school every week. 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.

Storybooks - As soon as your child starts to read the Read Write Inc. Phonics Storybooks, he or she will be assigned an electronic copy of this storybook via the website www.oxfordowl.co.uk. Each child has their own individual login and this can be found inside his or her school planner. This is a copy of the version he or she will have read at school. Your child will have read this story three times with their reading teacher, so should be able to read the story confidently on their own. A brief explanation of how to follow the activities is included in the books.

Book Bag Books- Your child will also bring home a Book-Bag Book. This book builds upon the ideas and many of the words in the Storybook he or she has just read. Your child will need more support in reading this book. Again, explanations of how to use the activities are included in the books.

Reading for Pleasure Book-This will be a book that your child has selected themselves purely based on a reading for pleasure basis. 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. Equally, the book may be a little difficult for your child to read so perhaps you could read it to them as a bedtime story.

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.

For the first four weeks of the academic year, your child will only bring home a reading for pleasure book, this is whilst we assess the children and establish the different reading groups. We want to ensure that all children are reading books at the right level.

Is there anything that I shouldn't do?

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.

What if he or she 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.

Please follow the links below for additional information regarding the Read Write Inc programme.

Read Write Inc Clips for Parents

The Read Write Inc. Spelling Programme

All children in Years 3-6 will now be learning to spell using the Read Write Inc. Spelling Programme. 

Your child will learn a new spelling rule or pattern each week and will complete activities in school and at home to consolidate his or her understanding of that rule.

Children will no longer bring home a spelling list to learn and there will be no Friday spelling test. Instead, your child will have a Log Book, which they will bring home and return to school each day. 

There is also an Extra Practice Zone for children to access at home. This can be found by visiting Oxford Owl Website

Your child will be given a class username and password from his/her class teacher.

Please read through the document attached for more information.