Phonics and Reading
At Forest Row Church of England Primary School, we believe that all our children can become fluent readers and writers. This is why we teach reading through Read Write Inc, which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme. We start teaching phonics in Reception and follow the Read Write Inc Progression, which ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they move through school.
As a result, all our children are able to tackle any unfamiliar words as they read. At Forest Row Church of England School, we also model the application of the alphabetic code through phonics in shared reading and writing, both inside and outside of the phonics lesson and across the curriculum. We have a strong focus on language development for our children because we know that speaking and listening are crucial skills for reading and writing in all subjects.
We teach phonics daily for 45 minutes. In Reception, we build from 10-minute lessons, with additional daily oral blending games, to the full-length lesson as quickly as possible. All Teachers and Teaching Assistants are trained in delivering Read Write Inc sessions. They all follow detailed lessons plans and have all the Read Write Inc resources needed to teach successful phonics lessons.
We teach children to read through daily reading practice sessions as part of our 45 minute phonics session. We use books matched to the children’s secure phonic knowledge using Read Write Inc assessments and book matching grids. Each reading practice session has a clear focus, so that the demands of the session do not overload the children’s working memory. The reading practice sessions have been designed to focus on three key reading skills:
o accuracy
o fluency: teaching children to read with understanding and expression
o comprehension: teaching children to understand the text.
Any child who needs additional practice has daily ‘keep-up’ support, taught by a fully trained adult. These session focus on flashcards to close gaps in learning and application to reading using the same procedures, resources and mantras in a usual Read Write Inc session but in smaller steps with more repetition, so that every child secures their learning.
Phonics and Early Reading Policy
If you would like to support your child at home, please watch the following short video to familiarise yourself with the sounds (phonemes)
