​As a school we use the Read, Write Inc programme to teach phonics, reading and writing throughout Foundation and Key Stage 1 as well as for those children who need it in KS2. Effective teaching of reading includes teaching children to decode words by sounds, rather than recognising whole words.

​Our focus in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One is on the use of synthetic phonics, in which words are broken up into the smallest units of sound called phonemes. Children are taught the letters, also known as graphemes that represent these phonemes and also learn to blend them into words. Children are taught to read the letters in a word like c-a-t, and then merge them to pronounce the word cat. A phoneme can be represented by one, two, three or four letters (such as "ough" in "dough").

​Children are systematically taught the 40 key phonic sounds and the combination of letters used to represent each sound, they also learn how to use alternative graphemes to support their reading and spelling. Once they are on the Pink scheme of RWInc children from Early Years and Key Stage 1 will bring home their RWInc reading book each week.

​They will have been reading this book during the week at school and they should be confident in decoding these words. They are now developing the skills of fluency, pace and comprehension. Children will also bring home a book from our book banded scheme which they will change with more frequency.

In Key Stage 2 children are heard to read every week either by a teacher or teaching assistant.  The children are guided in choosing an appropriate book that matches both their interests and their reading ability.  The school has invested heavily in reading stock since 2016 and has an exceptionally good book collection.

Mr Rob Litten
Executive Headteacher (Foundation Stage and Primary)
New Road Primary School 

Find out how Phonics in taught in the Reception Class 

Please click here for some guidance to help you when you are reading with your child.

All KS1 children should bring home a paper copy of the book they have been reading in Read, Write, Inc (changed weekly) and a book bag book   (changed daily). 

Click here for FREE eBooks from Oxford Owl