Phonics
At Christ the King, we strive for all children to find pleasure in reading. Therefore, we take an inclusive, inspired, and challenging approach to children’s learning of phonics with the help of the Read Write Inc programme, which we believe gives children the best possible start with their reading. However, we also rely on our parents' support in order to provide children with a wide range of literature and read with them daily, both at school and at home.
About Read Write Inc
Read Write Inc is a systematic, synthetic phonics programme that helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed, so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Christ the King we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching it to children beyond the age of 7 if they require further support.
Five key principles underpin the teaching in all Read Write Inc. sessions:
- Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the children, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about
- Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning
- Praise – ensure children are praised for effort and learning, not ability
- Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning
- Passion – be passionate about teaching so children can be engaged emotionally.
How We Learn to Read
When teaching your child to read, practise saying the sounds below. These are the sounds we use to speak in English.
We use pure sounds - “m” not “muh”, “s” not “suh,” etc. - which helps children blend sounds together more easily. At school, we use a puppet called Fred who is an expert at sounding out words! We call it “Fred Talk.” The following videos show examples of saying sounds and blending sounds with Fred.
Video: Read Write Inc. Phonics
Set 1 Speed Sounds
Set 2 Speed Sounds
Set 3 Speed Sounds
Nursery
When appropriate, children will be introduced to the initial sounds in short interactive sessions
Reception
In Reception all children will learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down.
Reading
The children:
- learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts
- learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
- read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
work well with partners - develop comprehension skills in stories by answering ‘Find It’ and ‘Prove It’ discussion questions
Writing
The children:
- learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
- learn to write words by using Fred Talk
- learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write
Talking
The children work in partners so that they:
- answer every question
- practise every activity with their partner
- take turns in talking and reading to each other
- develop ambitious vocabulary
Year One & Year Two
Children follow the same format as Reception but will work on more complex sounds and read books appropriate to their reading level. Daily sessions of Read Write Inc phonics last for 45minutes.
Children will be taught how to read as follows:
Before you start to teach your child, practise saying the sounds below. These are the sounds we use to speak in English.
Video: How to say the sounds
Culcheth Lane, Manchester, Lancashire M40 1LU
0161 681 2779
For telephone enquiries please ask for Mrs Potter.
contact@christtheking.manchester.sch.uk
At point of contact, enquires and queries will be dealt with by Mrs. Potter.
For a paper copy of any information on this website, please contact the school office.
SEN enquiries will be passed on to the school SENDCo Mrs Holroyd.