Read Write Inc; a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics programme:

At Dell Primary, we teach phonics using the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme developed by Ruth Miskin.

The programme is for:

● Pupils in the nursery will be introduced to RWI;

 ● pupils in Year R to Year 2 who are learning to read and write;

● any pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 who need to catch up rapidly.

Children who are not yet able to read fluently at an age-expected standard will continue to receive intensive support so that no effort is spared during their time at Dell to prepare them for their next stage.

We teach pupils to:

 ● Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills;

 ● Read ‘tricky’ words on sight;

 ● Understand what they read;

● Read aloud with fluency and expression;

 ● Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar;

● Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words;

● Acquire good handwriting.

In addition, we teach pupils to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. This provides the teacher with opportunities to assess learning and to pick up on difficulties, such as pupils’ poor articulation, or problems with blending or alphabetic code knowledge. 8 We aim to group pupils homogeneously, according to their progress in reading rather than their writing. This is because it is known that pupils’ progress in writing will lag behind progress in reading, especially for those whose motor skills are less well developed.

In Early Years we emphasise the alphabetic code. The pupils rapidly learn sounds and the letter or groups of letters they need to represent them. Simple mnemonics help them to grasp this quickly. This is especially useful for pupils at risk of making slower progress. This learning is consolidated daily. Pupils have frequent practice in reading high frequency words with irregular spellings – ‘tricky words’.

We make sure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and the ‘tricky words’. This is so that, early on, they experience success and gain confidence that they are readers. Re-reading and discussing these books with the teacher supports their increasingly fluent decoding.

Our aim is for pupils to complete the phonics programme as quickly as possible. The sooner they complete it, the sooner they will be able to choose books to read at their own interest and comprehension level.