Accordion content

At St Nicholas Catholic Primary School, we want every child to become a confident reader. We teach phonics through Read Write Inc. (RWI), a structured programme that helps children connect letters with sounds, read unfamiliar words and develop fluency.

What is phonics?

Phonics teaches children that written letters, or groups of letters, represent sounds. Children learn to recognise these sounds and blend them together to read words. They also learn to hear the sounds in words and use them when spelling.

For example, a child might recognise the sounds in c–a–t, blend them to read cat, and then use those sounds to help write the word.

How we teach phonics

Children have a phonics lesson every school day. In Reception, they begin by learning Set 1 sounds and practising how to blend sounds to read simple words. As their knowledge grows, they learn further sounds and apply them in words, sentences and books.

Children are assessed regularly and taught in groups that match what they currently know. Teachers use these assessments to plan the next steps in learning and provide extra practice when a child needs it. Children who need further phonics teaching continue to receive support beyond Key Stage 1.

Alongside phonics lessons, we share stories, poems and rhymes and talk about books every day. This helps children build vocabulary, understand what they hear and read, and enjoy reading.

Reading books

Children practise reading books matched to the sounds and words they have been taught. Reading a familiar book more than once helps them become more accurate and fluent, and gives them confidence to read with expression.

Children also bring home books to share for pleasure. These may contain words they cannot yet read independently. Please enjoy these together: read the story aloud, talk about the pictures and discuss what happens.

You can find more about reading across the school on our Reading page.

Our phonics curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build their phonics knowledge and develop reading and writing skills progressively over time. We use the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme to support curriculum design, drawing on its systematic progression of sounds, graphemes, blending, decoding and spelling to ensure learning builds securely from pupils’ starting points towards increasing fluency and independence.

Read Write Inc. is not used as an off-the-shelf curriculum. Leaders and teachers use the programme alongside their knowledge of our pupils to adapt teaching, provide additional practice and respond to individual needs. This ensures that phonics teaching is accessible, ambitious and appropriate for the children at St Nicholas.

Progression is carefully mapped across the school, ensuring that pupils revisit, practise and apply previously taught sounds and knowledge while moving towards increasingly complex words and texts. Teachers use assessment to identify what pupils know, understand and can apply, addressing gaps promptly and ensuring children are ready for the next stage of their reading journey.

This ensures that, while Read Write Inc. provides a strong systematic structure and progression framework, the phonics experience at St Nicholas is responsive to our pupils and distinctly our own, providing every child with the secure foundations, confidence and fluency needed to become a successful reader.

Children usually take the statutory Phonics Screening Check in Year 1. It asks them to read a short list of real words and made-up words using their phonics knowledge. We will share further information with families before the check and let you know how your child has done.

Small amounts of regular practice make a difference. You can:

• Listen to your child read their matched book and celebrate what they can do.

• Encourage them to say each sound and blend the sounds together when they meet an unfamiliar word.

• Read their familiar book again to build fluency and confidence.

• Read stories aloud and talk about favourite characters, new words and what might happen next.

• Enjoy songs, rhymes and word games together.

Your child’s teacher can show you the sounds and reading strategies your child is currently learning. If you are unsure how to help, please ask us.