English

Phonics

At Wrotham Road Primary School, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to give children the strongest possible start in their reading and writing journey. RWI is a highly effective, systematic approach to teaching phonics, built around learning letter sounds, blending to read, and segmenting to spell.

We believe that reading opens the door to all learning. Children who read regularly develop confidence, fluency, and a love of books. As their skills grow, they are able to access more challenging texts, broaden their vocabulary, deepen their understanding of the world, and become increasingly independent learners.

Through the Read Write Inc. programme, children learn to decode words accurately and effortlessly, enabling them to focus their energy on understanding what they read. The programme also supports children to spell with confidence, helping them to apply their phonics knowledge when writing so that they can express themselves with increasing accuracy and creativity.

Our aim is for every child to leave Wrotham Road Primary School as a confident reader and writer, equipped with the essential skills they need to succeed across the curriculum and beyond.

What is Read Write Inc. and why we use it?

• Read Write Inc. is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme, developed by Ruth Miskin. Its aim is to help children learn to read fluently and at speed, so they can concentrate on understanding (comprehension), building vocabulary, and spelling, rather than struggling with decoding every word.
• At Wrotham Road we introduce RWI from EYFS through to the end of Key Stage 1, though children older than that may continue on the programme if they still need phonics support.
• At our school, this gives every child a structured pathway into reading.

How we teach phonics (the RWI approach)

RWI is taught in daily sessions, with children grouped so that each child works at the right level for them. We group pupils homogeneously, according to their progress in reading rather than their writing.

Here’s roughly how the journey unfolds:

1. Learning the sounds: children learn about 44 “pure” sounds (phonemes) and the corresponding letters or letter-groups

(graphemes). Picture prompts are often used to help children remember each sound.

2. Blending sounds to read words: using a method known as “Fred Talk”: children say each sound in a word (for example, m-a-t), then blend to say the whole word (“mat”). Importantly, we use pure sounds — for example saying “m” not “muh,” “s” not “suh” — so that blending and reading are easier.

3. Moving on to reading and writing

• Once children can blend simple words (“word time” words), they practise through ditties (short sentences) and decodable story-books carefully matched to the sounds they know.
• They also practise writing the letters/letter-groups, then writing words by “Fred-talking,” and gradually build up to writing simple sentences or beginning to focus on comprehension skills.

4. Ongoing assessment and flexible grouping: children are assessed regularly (e.g. every half term), and grouped according to their current reading/phonics level. This ensures they always work at the right pace and get extra support if needed.

5. Progress through “sets” of sounds & decodable texts: as children master one set of sounds, they move on to more complex sounds (and alternative letter combinations) and more advanced books, to continue building fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.

The consistent, carefully sequenced and cumulative nature of RWI helps ensure children make steady progress, rather than relying on “guessing” or memorising whole words.

The Importance of Reading at School and Home:

• Reading regularly at school gives children the structure, guided teaching, and peer support to build skills systematically. RWI lessons built around daily practice, blending, decodable texts and writing lay the strong foundation.
• Reading at home is vital to reinforce and consolidate that learning. When children re-read decodable books sent from school or practise their sounds and reading at home, they build fluency and confidence. We encourage parents to read with children daily and to return books promptly so children can continue to access matched texts.
• Frequent reading (both at home and at school) supports vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of reading, which in turn supports broader learning across the curriculum.

“Reading opens the door to learning.”

What parents/carers can do to support:

• Use the same “language and terminology” as school (e.g. “Fred-talk,” “pure sounds,” “special friends”) this helps children stay consistent and avoid confusion.
• Read daily with your child: share reading books, ‘ditties’, library books, as well as the decodable books from school. Make reading a part of daily routine (bedtime stories, quiet reading, etc.).
• Encourage children to practise writing: when they write at home, support them to use their sound knowledge (rather than guessing).
• Watch parent-friendly resources to understand RWI better, for example the parent-guide video from RWI.
• Visit trusted websites for guidance and resources for home support. Two excellent ones are:

Here is a link to a video clip which shows the programme in action and explains everything, especially ‘Fred talk’: What’s is Read, Write Inc.?

Here is also a link for Read, Write Inc Parent Information: http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/resources/

Or

The official parent-information page of Read Write Inc. from its creators: ruthmiskin.com – Parents & carers

Oxford Owl — Read Write Inc. Home Reading section — where parents can register and access e-books matched to their child’s stage. As some RWI-using schools reference it for home reading.

Writing