Teach a child to read and keep that child reading and we will change everything.  Jeanette Winterson.

At Holtspur School, we strive to teach children to read effectively and quickly using the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme (RWI) which includes teaching synthetic phonics, sight vocabulary, decoding and encoding words as well as spelling and accurate letter formation.

We passionately believe that teaching children to read and write independently, as quickly as possible, is one of the core purposes of a primary school.  These fundamental skills not only hold the keys to the rest of the curriculum but also have a huge impact on children’s self-esteem and future life chances. 

Using the RWI phonics programme we teach children to:

• Read accurately, fluently and with good understanding.
• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.

In practice, Pupils learn the English alphabetic code: first they learn one way to read the 40+ sounds (set 1 and set 2 sounds) and blend these sounds into words, they then learn to read the same sounds with alternative graphemes (set 3 sounds). Pupils learn ‘red words’ which you cannot ‘Fred talk’ to read the word. Pupils have phonics lessons everyday where they learn a new sound, review previously taught sounds and read storybooks that are closely linked to their phonetic knowledge. Pupils read their storybook three times in class before taking it home to show their fluency and confidence. Pupils also take home a ‘book bag book’ which is new and exciting, the sounds in this book are closely linked to their class storybook. Throughout this process there is a focus on comprehension, reading with expression and reading for enjoyment.

Please use the link below for support with pronunciation of pure sounds:

How to Say the Sounds

Children are taught in small, homogenous groups, which reflect their phonetic knowledge and reading fluency.  We regularly assess children so that they are taught in a RWI group, which matches their phonetic knowledge.  We make sure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their increasing knowledge of phonics and ability to read ‘red words’; so they experience early reading success and gain confidence that they are readers.

In addition, we support children who are making slower progress in their reading and need extra daily practise in reading sounds and words. We support these children with one-on-one tutoring to support them to make progress. These children need ‘quick keep up’. It is also for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who we know will likely need long-term support to learn to read.

In Upper KS2, we use Read Write Inc.’s Fresh Start Programme to support our older children to learn to read with reading material that suits their maturity level. Fresh Start provides intensive, targeted support to address specific gaps in a student’s reading.

How you can help at home

• Read to your child and always discuss the story you are reading to try to build comprehension skills, inference and deduction.
• Practise the sounds they know at home.  These are the sounds in the Speed Sound Chart at the start of the storybooks.
• Listen to your child read, both the RWI storybooks, Book Bag books and other storybooks, every day.  Make sure that your child brings their RWI Storybook into school every day.
• Look out for our RWI workshops, where you can find out about how we teach phonics at Holtspur School so that you are best placed to support your child’s reading journey.
• Make sure your child attends school every day, and that they are on time, as this will help them to make the most progress.
• Visit the Parents’ section on the RWI website for more tips, techniques and helpful hints:

Parents - Ruth Miskin Literacy