St. Catherine's CE Primary School In God's Love, Together We Flourish
Read, Write Inc Phonics
Miss Simm, our Phonics Lead, oversees the teaching of phonics across school.
Intent
As a Church of England school, we are committed to nurturing every child so they flourish and reach their full potential, guided by our Christian values. Central to this is ensuring every child becomes a confident, fluent reader who develops a genuine love of books.
We believe high quality phonics teaching is the foundation of successful reading and writing. Staff are committed to including all pupils, valuing every individual, identifying and responding to their needs, and removing barriers to learning for individuals and groups. This is achieved through a combination of rigorous, high quality phonics teaching and rich opportunities for children to listen to books read aloud, read independently, and develop fluency, comprehension, language and oracy across the curriculum.
We aim to provide a consistent, high quality approach to phonics teaching from Early Years through Key Stage 1, and into Key Stage 2 for any children who need continued support.
Our aims are for children to:
Develop aural discrimination, phonemic awareness and a sense of rhyme, to support reading, writing and spelling
Use segmenting and blending confidently as a foundation for decoding
Experience phonics teaching that is lively, interactive and engaging
Apply phonic knowledge across the wider curriculum
Learn all 44 phonemes of the English language
Recognise graphemes within words and match them to the correct phoneme when reading
Develop strategies to identify and read "tricky" (common exception) words
Foster a lifelong love of reading
Implementation
Teaching and learning
We follow Read Write Inc. Phonics, a systematic, structured programme created by Ruth Miskin.
The programme is organised into sets of sounds and matching storybooks, with each stage building on previous learning. Children have regular opportunities to practise and consolidate, rapidly building their ability to read and spell. They are also taught common exception words — words with unusual spellings that can't simply be sounded out.
Storybooks give children repeated opportunities to apply and embed their phonic knowledge in their independent reading and writing, helping decoding become fast and automatic — which in turn supports their spelling.
Progression overview
Read Write Inc. is taught through three sets of sounds, progressing broadly as follows:
Read Write Inc. teaches sounds through three sets, moving at each child's pace but broadly following this pattern:
Set 1 — single-letter sounds (m a s d t i n p g o c k u b f e l h r j v w x y z), "special friend" consonant digraphs (sh th ch qu ng nk) and double letters (ff ll ss ck)
Set 2 — 12 "speed sounds" made from two or three letters, sounding as one: ay, ee, igh, ow, oo (as in zoo), oo (as in book), ar, or, air, ir, ou, oy
Set 3 — further sounds for more complex spelling patterns: ea, oi, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e, aw, are, ur, er, ow (as in brown), ai, oa, ew, ire, ear, ure, plus tion and tious/cious
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Autumn 1
Learn single-letter Set 1 sounds; begin oral blending ("Fred Talk")
Consolidate all Set 1 sounds, including special friends and double letters; secure blending to read simple words
Review and secure Set 3 sounds; build reading speed and accuracy across all sets
Autumn 2
Continue Set 1 sounds; blend sounds orally and start blending to read simple words
Begin Set 2 sounds; read words containing Set 2 sounds with growing confidence
Complete any remaining gaps; read with fluency at an age-appropriate pace, including multisyllabic words
Spring 1
Secure all Set 1 single sounds and special friends (sh th ch qu ng nk); blend to read CVC words
Continue and complete Set 2 sounds; build speed reading words from Set 1 and 2
Continue to build fluency; access comprehension activities alongside phonics
Spring 2
Blend to read words containing Set 1 special friends and double letters
Begin Set 3 sounds; continue building speed with Set 1 and 2 sounds
Continue to build fluency and comprehension; support any remaining gaps through intervention
Summer 1
Blend words containing consonant blends and double letters confidently
Continue Set 3 sounds; build speed reading words containing Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds
Consolidate learning; move on to wider reading and comprehension work off the phonics scheme
Summer 2
Read words confidently using all Set 1 sounds; begin to recognise some Set 2 sounds
Complete Set 3 sounds; read words from all three sets with increasing speed and accuracy
As above — children not yet secure receive continued, targeted phonics support
End of year expectation
Confidently blend and read all Set 1 sounds, and begin to read some Set 2 sounds, in words
Read all Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds accurately in words, with increasing speed
Read fluently and accurately at age-related expectations, applying phonics automatically in reading and writing
Exact pacing is adjusted to each child's progress and reviewed at half-termly assessment points — children move through the sets and storybook colour bands at the rate that's right for them, not strictly by year group.
Alongside sounds, children move through colour-banded storybooks matched to what they've learned — from early Ditty books, through Red, Green, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Blue and Grey storybooks, up to independent, off-scheme reading as they complete the programme.
Once children have learned their set sounds, the focus shifts to reading and comprehending through storybooks, with three key goals:
Working out unfamiliar words quickly, including new vocabulary and names
Reading familiar, previously taught words speedily
Reading whole texts fluently
Oracy and vocabulary
All staff teaching phonics are trained in Read Write Inc. and use consistent, correct pronunciation of every phoneme. We actively model good listening — eye contact, thoughtful questions, responding to what's said — and give children regular opportunities to extend their spoken language, including through structured sentence-building.
Assessment
Monitoring and assessment are used to raise the quality of teaching and pupil attainment. The Phonics Lead and senior leaders monitor teaching through lesson observations, learning walks, and half-termly assessments.
After each session, children are recognised for the sound they've focused on that day, keeping staff and parents informed and helping children revisit sounds they haven't yet secured.
Every half term, children are formally assessed using the Read Write Inc. assessment materials, ensuring they are grouped effectively to make strong progress. Children not yet meeting age-related expectations receive extra support or one-to-one tuition.
All Year 1 children take the statutory Phonics Screening Check. Any child who doesn't meet the required standard is supported and retakes the check in Year 2.
Children who still haven't met the required standard by the end of Year 2 receive further phonics teaching and intervention into Year 3 and, where needed, across Key Stage 2.
Learning environment
Phonics is visible throughout our learning environments. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, classrooms display age-appropriate grapheme-phoneme correspondence charts linked to Read Write Inc. In Key Stage 2, a complex sounds display supports children in applying phonics to spelling and beyond.
Reading
Phonics underpins how we teach reading and spelling. Alongside discrete, high quality phonics teaching, children regularly listen to books read aloud by adults, promoting fluency and comprehension.
In EYFS and Key Stage 1, children take home a Read Write Inc. book matched precisely to their current phonic knowledge, plus a separate book chosen for pleasure and a library book. In Key Stage 2, children take home one reading book and one library book each week.
All children have regular opportunities to read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction for pleasure, both in school and at home.
Inclusion
We aim to create a fully inclusive phonics environment, using resources that support visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners — including magnetic whiteboards and letters, sound cards and sound mats.
Children are grouped according to their phonic ability so that teaching is well matched to their needs. Careful thought is given to structuring provision for children with SEND, often through intervention groups or one-to-one tuition, using a broad-based, multi-sensory approach.
Impact
Children at St. Catherine's will:
Read fluently, for both pleasure and information
Apply spelling rules, phonics and grammar accurately
Read and write clearly and confidently across a range of genres
Speak clearly and confidently in a range of situations
Listen actively and respond thoughtfully, building knowledge and opinions
Proofread and improve their own writing
Progress through the phonics programme in line with age-related expectations, with any barriers to learning identified and addressed
Achieve a Phonics Screening Check pass rate at or above the national average
There are have lots of freeRead Write Inc. Phonicsresources from Oxford Owl to help your child, including eBooks, practice sheets and parent films. We suggest you start by watching this film for parents:
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Speed Sounds and Read Write Inc. Stages
If your child is learning to read at school with Read Write Inc. Phonics, they will be at one of the following stages:
Learning Set 1 Speed Sounds
These are the Set 1 Speed 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
These are the sounds written with two letters (your child will call these ‘special friends’):
sh th ch qu ng nk ck
Check if your child can read these sounds. Make sure they say sounds like ‘mmm’, not letter names like ‘em’. Watch the Sound Pronunciation Guide video to help you.
You can help your child practise the Speed Sounds they have learnt with the Speed Sounds practice sheets further down this page.
Learning to blend with Set 1 Speed Sounds
Your child is learning to read words containing Set 1 Speed Sounds by sound blending. For example:
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.
If your child is learning to sound blend, watch the Sound Blending video for tips on how to support them.
Learning Set 2 Speed Sounds
These are the Set 2 Speed Sounds:
ay ee igh ow (as in blow) oo (as in zoo)
oo (as in look) ar or air ir ou (as in out) oy
Check if your child can read these sounds.
If your child is learning the Set 2 Speed Sounds, you could help them to:
Read these free eBooks at Red Ditty level, then Green level and then Purple level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.
Learning Set 3 Speed Sounds
These are Set 3 Speed Sounds:
ea (as in tea)
oi (as in spoil)
a–e (as in cake)
i–e (as in smile)
o–e (as in home)
u–e (as in huge)
aw (as in yawn)
are (as in care)
ur (as in nurse)
er (as in letter)
ow (as in brown)
ai (as in snail)
oa (as in goat)
ew (as in chew)
ire (as in fire)
ear (as in hear)
ure (as in pure)
Check if your child can read these sounds.
If your child is learning Set 3 Speed Sounds, you could help them to:
Read the eBooks at Pink level, then Orange level and then Yellow level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.
Reading books with Set 1, 2, and 3 Speed Sounds
If your child has learnt all three sets of Speed Sounds, they need to practise them and read books with words made up of those sounds. They could:
Read the eBooks at the Blue level and then the Grey level, in order. We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a ‘storyteller voice’ that shows their understanding.
You will find a useful phonics audio guide to all these sounds in our Sound Pronunciation Guide video. 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?
Our teaching staff 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.
Some more useful links to Read Write Inc. can be found here:
