Read Write Inc. Phonics

Please do not hesitate to come into school and speak to Mrs Ronicle or Mrs Tucker if you would like advice or support to help your child learn phonics at home.

Our school uses Read Write Inc. Phonics is a literacy programme. This programme was developed by Ruth Miskin and published by Oxford University Press. 

In the programme children learn sounds and the letters that represent them, and how to form the letters. Then, they read books written using only the letters they have learnt (and a small number of separately taught 'tricky words'). This gives the children plenty of early success and builds up their reading confidence.

Read Write Inc. Phonics includes lots of useful kits for parents as well as classroom resources. On the Oxford Owl website, you can find resources to support your child at home and you can use them to systematically teach all of the common sounds in the English language.

How will my child learn to read?

We teach phonics and reading daily, sometimes more than once each day.

The Read Write Inc. Phonics approach teaches children to read sets of sounds and then blend them to read words. The books that they read at school will only contain the sounds they’ve already learned, so children learn quickly and confidently.

First your child will learn to read:

• Set 1 Speed Sounds (sounds written with one letter): m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h r j v y w z x and sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’): sh th ch qu ng nk ck
• Words containing these sounds, by sound-blending, e.g. m–a–t mat, c–a–t cat, g–o–t got, f–i–sh fish, s–p–o–t spot, b–e–s–t best, s–p–l–a–sh splash
• At school, they will read Read Write Inc. PhonicsSound Blending Books and Red, Green and Purple Storybooks.

Whilst they are practising reading stories with words made up of Set 1 Speed Sounds, your child will also learn to read:

• Set 2 Speed Sounds: ay ee igh ow oo oo ar or air ir ou oy
• Words containing these sounds
• At school, they will read Read Write Inc. Phonics Pink, Orange and Yellow Storybooks.

Whilst they are practising reading stories with words made up of Set 1 and Set 2 Speed Sounds, your child will also learn to read:

• Set 3 Speed Sounds: ea oi a–e i–e o–e u–e aw are ur er ow ai oa er ire ear ure
• Words containing these sounds
• At school, they will read Read Write Inc. Phonics Blue and Grey Storybooks.

You will find a useful phonics audio guide to all these sounds on Oxford Owl's Phonics made easy page. It is really important to say the sounds clearly to help your child learn them. We say 'mmmm' not 'muh' and 'lllll' not 'luh' when teaching the sounds. This really helps children when they learn to blend sounds together to read words.

What is Fred Talk?

Teachers will introduce your child to a toy frog called Fred once he or she is ready to start reading words. Fred can only say the sounds in a word and needs your child to help him read the word. Fred will say the sounds and children will work out the word. For example, Fred will say the sounds c–a–t, and children will say the word cat. This is Fred Talk: sounding out the word.