Phonics

At St Barnabas we recognise the importance of early reading and have chosen a phonics scheme that is rigorous and has a sequential approach helping to develop pupils’ fluency, confidence and enjoyment of reading. Read Write Inc Phonics is a DfE approved scheme which looks at both reading and writing and ensures reading books are closely matched to the sounds learnt. We use the Read, Write Inc books as our reading scheme to support pupils in their reading. Books are closely matched to the pupils phonic ability and regularly changed to ensure pupils make the most progress.

In Reading pupils learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds and blend these sounds into words, then learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes. They experience success from the very beginning. Lively phonic books are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ‘tricky’ words and, as children re-read the stories, their fluency increases. Along with a thought-provoking introduction, prompts for thinking out loud and discussion, children are helped to read with a storyteller’s voice. Pupils who are no longer on Read Write Inc Phonics have access to a range of age appropriate texts from Bug Club as well as free choice from the school library.

In Writing pupils write every day, rehearsing out loud what they want to say, before spelling the words using the graphemes and ‘tricky’ words they know. They practice handwriting every day: sitting at a table comfortably, they learn correct letter formation and how to join letters speedily and legibly. Children’s composition (ideas, vocabulary and grammar) is developed by drawing on their own experiences and talking about the stories they read.

Five key principles underpin the teaching in all Read Write Inc, sessions:
Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the children, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about

Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning

Praise – ensure children are praised for effort and learning, not ability

Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning

Passion – be passionate about teaching so children can be engaged emotionally.

Login to your child’s Class Dojo page to get regular links of the sounds and books your child is learning in school.