Phonics Scheme
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At Bosley St Mary's CE Primary School, we believe that learning to read is one of the most important skills a child will develop. Reading opens doors to learning, imagination and opportunity, and our ambition is for every child to become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader.
We teach early reading through Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics, a systematic synthetic phonics programme that provides children with the essential foundations for reading and writing.
What Is Phonics?
Phonics teaches children to read by recognising the sounds that letters, or groups of letters, represent and blending these sounds together to read words.
For example, the word ship contains three sounds: sh – i – p.
Children learn to recognise these sounds, blend them to read words and segment words into sounds to support spelling.
Through regular, structured practice, children become increasingly accurate and fluent readers.
How We Teach Phonics
Read Write Inc. begins in Reception and continues throughout Key Stage 1. Children who need further support with phonics beyond Year 2 continue to receive appropriate teaching.
Children receive daily phonics lessons, with teaching matched to their current reading knowledge and development rather than simply their age.
Our phonics teaching includes:
- Learning sounds: Recognising letters and groups of letters and the sounds they represent.
- Blending: Using Fred Talk to blend sounds together to read words.
- Reading and spelling: Practising words containing previously taught and new sounds, including common exception words known as Red Words.
- Reading books: Applying phonics knowledge through carefully matched, fully decodable books.
- Developing fluency: Re-reading familiar texts to build accuracy, expression, confidence and understanding.
Children are regularly assessed so that teaching can be adapted, progress monitored and any gaps addressed promptly.
Developing Fluency and Understanding
Reading a book more than once helps children become increasingly confident and fluent.
Within Read Write Inc., children revisit texts with three key purposes:
- First read – Accuracy: Reading words correctly using their phonics knowledge.
- Second read – Fluency: Reading more smoothly, confidently and with expression.
- Third read – Comprehension: Developing understanding, discussing the story and answering questions.
Alongside phonics teaching, we share high-quality stories, poems and non-fiction books that children may not yet be able to read independently. This develops vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and a love of reading.
Supporting Every Child
We are committed to ensuring that every child becomes a successful reader.
Regular assessment helps us identify children who need additional practice or targeted support. Teaching is carefully matched to individual needs, with opportunities to revisit sounds, strengthen blending skills and develop reading fluency.
Children continue to receive phonics support for as long as they need it, ensuring that gaps in early reading do not become barriers to learning across the wider curriculum.
How Can You Help at Home?
Families play a vital role in helping children develop their reading skills and confidence.
You can support your child by:
- Practising sounds: Encourage your child to say the pure sounds they have learnt, avoiding adding an extra 'uh' sound.
- Using Fred Talk: Help your child sound out and blend unfamiliar words.
- Reading regularly: Listen to your child read their matched reading book, celebrating their progress and confidence.
- Re-reading books: Encourage repeated reading to develop fluency and understanding.
- Sharing stories: Read books to your child every day, talk about pictures and characters, and enjoy stories together.
- Keeping reading positive: Offer encouragement, praise effort and make reading an enjoyable part of everyday life.
Remember, reading to your child is just as important as listening to them read. Sharing stories introduces new vocabulary, develops comprehension and nurtures a lifelong love of books.
Our ambition is for every child to develop secure phonics knowledge, become a confident and fluent reader, and discover the pleasure and possibilities that reading brings.
