Reading and Phonics at Park Hall Infant Academy

Reading opens the door to learning. A child who reads widely becomes a confident reader. Confident readers are able to tackle more challenging texts, which helps them to learn more, deepen their understanding and develop a love of learning. As children learn more, they become increasingly curious and eager to find out more.

At Park Hall Infant Academy, we use the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme to begin our children’s reading and writing journey. Read Write Inc. is a structured, synthetic phonics programme that teaches children to recognise letter sounds and blend them to read words. It provides children with a strong foundation and gets them off to a flying start in literacy.

Through Read Write Inc., children learn to read accurately and effortlessly so that they can focus their energy on understanding and enjoying what they read. The programme also supports children to spell confidently, allowing them to concentrate on composing their writing and expressing their ideas clearly.

How Children Learn to Read with Read Write Inc.

When learning to read using Read Write Inc., children will:

• Learn that sounds are represented by written letters

• Learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters or letter groups using simple picture prompts

• Practise blending sounds together to read words using Fred Talk

• Learn that some words cannot be sounded out using Fred Talk; these are known as Red Words

• Read engaging fiction and non-fiction books that are closely matched to their phonic knowledge

• Develop comprehension skills by answering questions and discussing what they have read

How Children Learn to Write with Read Write Inc.

When learning to write using Read Write Inc., children will:

• Learn to write the letters and letter groups that represent the 44 sounds

• Learn to spell words by saying the sounds aloud using Fred Talk

• Apply their phonic knowledge to write words, sentences and longer pieces of writing with increasing confidence

Working Together and Developing Language

During Read Write Inc. lessons, children work in pairs so they can:

• Answer every question

• Practise every activity

• Take turns talking and reading to each other

• Develop ambitious vocabulary and strong speaking and listening skills

Partner work is a key part of the programme and helps children to build confidence, improve fluency and deepen their understanding.

Fidelity to the Read Write Inc. Programme

At Park Hall Infant School, Read Write Inc. Phonics is taught with fidelity to the scheme. This means that lessons follow the agreed structure, routines and progression set out in the programme, ensuring consistency and high-quality teaching across all classes.

Staff deliver daily phonics sessions using the correct terminology, resources and teaching strategies, including Speed Sounds, Fred Talk, partner work and structured repetition. Regular training and coaching ensure that staff have a secure understanding of the programme and teach it accurately and confidently.

Children are assessed frequently and grouped according to their reading level so that teaching is closely matched to their needs. Where children require additional support, targeted intervention is delivered in line with the Read Write Inc. approach to help them keep up and develop reading fluency as quickly as possible.

Leaders monitor the delivery of Read Write Inc. to ensure fidelity is maintained and that all children are supported to become fluent, confident readers.