Spelling and Phonics

Here at Farndon School we have adopted the ‘Read Write Inc’ Phonics programme designed by Ruth Miskin in EYFS and Year 1. We are dedicated to ensuring that each and every one of our children learns to read with accuracy and confidence. We believe that the Read Write Inc programme will allow us to do this, as well as allowing us to support you in fostering a love of reading in your child that will last a lifetime.

At the core of the programme is the lively and vigorous teaching of synthetic phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to sound-blend words for reading (decoding) at the same time as developing handwriting skills and spelling (encoding). As their confidence in decoding develops they are taught to comprehend and compose ideas for their own writing. The children have the pleasure of reading exciting storybooks perfectly matched to their level – so that they have early success in reading.

The Infant children start the day with a pacy phonics session for 20 minutes. Later in the morning, children read with their Teacher or Teaching Assistant in a group, using the texts that are pitched accurately against their phonics that they are learning.

The children follow a structured programme of reading and phonics activities in small groups. It is a programme designed for children to complete as soon as possible. It begins in the Nursery and once your child is reading at a level 2a they will have completed the programme.

Read, Write Inc. has 5 underlying principles – the five Ps:

1. PACE – no time is wasted during teaching sessions! Children are active and involved in a fun and creative way. The aim is for the children to complete the programme as quickly as possible.
2. PRAISE – teachers praise the children constantly throughout the teaching sessions. Children learn more quickly when they are praised for what they do well, rather than nagged for what they do wrong.
3. PURPOSE – each activity has a very clear purpose. The teacher will set this purpose at the beginning of the lesson so that the children know exactly what they will be learning.
4. PARTICIPATION – all children take part in all parts of the lesson. Full participation is gained through partner work and choral response.
5. PASSION – as a staff we are passionate about our teaching and the benefits of the Read, Write Inc. programme! We love teaching the sessions and this enthusiasm rubs off onto the children.

Read Write Inc has a suggested reading list for every year group, from Nursery to Year 6. Ruth Miskin suggests that children gain a great deal from knowing a short list of stories very well. This can help them to understand story structure and genres. Click on the document to see texts that the children may enjoy. Also, parents can click on the icon below for parent tutorials.

Phonics in Year 2 and the Juniors: Year 2 use a Transition scheme from Read Write Inc. In the Juniors, we use Spelling Shed. Spelling is taught in Years 3 - 6 for the first 20 minutes of the day 3 times a week. Within these sessions we teach the childen various patterns and rules and apply them. 

 As a school, we have looked at the spelling patterns and rules that the children have to learn in each of the different Junior classes and put together a list of potential words that the children may study. Also, Parents can find the next 200 "Tricky Words" for Year 3 and 4 children.

Files to Download