Intent  

At St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, we recognise and understand that fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in every subject. We are determined that every pupil in the school will learn to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities. We aim to develop our children's reading and writing in all subjects to support their acquisition of knowledge. The intent of our phonics programme (Read Write Inc) is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and where children are able to match and also exceed expectations of the National Curriculum and Early Learning Goals. We strive to engage and excite our pupils with books, rhymes and language in order to develop a love for reading, sharing stories and becoming lost in their own imagination. 

Implementation

At St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, to ensure high standards of teaching and learning in phonics, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout EYFS and Key stage 1. Children in Key stage 2 receive phonics intervention if needed. We use a synthetic phonics programme called ‘Read Write Inc’ developed by Ruth Miskin. The staff at St Cuthbert’s teach learners the relationship between sounds and the written spelling patterns, or graphemes, which represent them. 

During each RWI lesson, children are taught to:  

• Decode letter/sounds correspondences 
• Read red ‘tricky’ words by sight 
• Comprehend and understand what they read  
• Read aloud with fluency and expression  
• Spell quickly by segmenting sounds in words 
• Handwriting  

Children take part in daily phonics sessions in smaller groups where they participate in speaking, listening, spelling and reading activities that are matched specifically to their ability. Children are taught to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. This provides the teacher with continuous observations and assessment to ensure children are challenged and to identify children who may need additional support. In addition, the phonics leader will regularly assess each child to identify children’s progress and ensure children are grouped appropriately. 1:1 intervention is planned for children who are working below expected levels.  

Reading at home is widely promoted and encouraged throughout our school. Stories are read daily to children by staff with enthusiasm, confidence and enjoyment.  Children are provided with a RWI book that is matched to their phonics knowledge. The RWI books that children take home are decodable, linked to each stage of the children’s phonics knowledge and include specific comprehension questions. Children also choose an additional book that is appropriate for their age to share with their family at home to promote their love for reading.